After 13 years together, Prue Leith‘s patience for her husband’s online shopping addiction may be starting to wear thin.
But there is, at least, one upside – he’s shopping for her!
The Great British Bake Off judge said her off-screen wardrobe is usually picked out by husband John Playfair, 77, a retired designer.
She told how he regularly asks her to put on a fashion show at home.
But while the cookery expert, 84, praised his fashion advice, she admitted she’s conflicted – because she gets infuriated by him being glued to his phone screen while she wants to enjoy watching TV together.
The Great British Bake Off judge said her off-screen wardrobe is usually picked out by husband John Playfair, 77, a retired designer
Dame Prue, known for her stylish, colourful outfits, told the Style DNA podcast: ‘He can’t resist, he’s become addicted to shopping on the internet – for me. He is really good at it. It’s mostly shirts and tops and things.
‘There are some amazing things for very little money and of course I keep saying, ‘It’s probably poor Chinese children in sweatshops making this stuff.’ And he says, ‘Yes, but that’s probably all that that family gets.’
‘I don’t know what’s the right thing to do but, anyhow, I can’t stop him because he’s absolutely addicted.
‘Often, we’ll be going to bed and he’ll say, ‘before you take your bra and pants off’, and then we have this little parade…
‘I’m completely conflicted in this because I love the result of all this scrolling through his phone, but I really hate him scrolling through his phone. We’ll be watching a really good movie and then I suddenly realise he’s just looking at fashion!’
Dame Prue added that, despite being in her 80s, she is still discovering her sense of style. She said: ‘I’ve been with John now for 13 years and I think he made a real difference because he often produced stuff that I would not have thought of and says, ‘Go on, try it’, and it works.
‘I think probably the last ten years I’ve had more fun with it. He manages to combine fun with elegance.’
While the cookery expert, 84, praised his fashion advice, she admitted she’s conflicted – because she gets infuriated by him being glued to his phone screen while she wants to enjoy watching TV together
However, she says when it comes to her TV outfits such as for Bake Off, she also takes advice from fashion company boss Jane Galpin. She says previously TV firms always put young stylists in charge of what she wore, and they’d often pick younger styles.
Dame Prue said: ‘I was always being asked to wear shirts with frilly cuffs, which is a) useless in the kitchen, and b) just not my style; or baby-doll things. And I’m a large lady. You don’t want to put me in a baby-doll dress. I hate shopping but I do love clothes.’
