Matt Lucas of The Great British Baking Show is talking about how he lost a lot of weight. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the comedian, who is 48 years old, decided to change his lifestyle and lose weight. He talked about this on the Mid Point podcast with Gabby Logan.
“My dad died very suddenly when he was 52,” he said. He also said that his grandfather died when he was only 56. Lucas said, “I was looking at the law of averages.” He noticed how close those ages were getting to his own.
The author and Little Britain star went on, “I was already very big, and the pandemic made me even bigger. Kind of not doing much, not going out much, not seeing many people, and just eating a lot. I was so big that I could no longer fit on screen.”
Lucas also said that his weight loss wasn’t as impressive as it seems. He said on the podcast, “I’m not thin by any means.” “Just now, I’ve lost some weight. I’ve gone from an XXL or even an XXXL to a medium.”
He said that he doesn’t like drugs or smoking and that he drinks “hardly ever.” He said, “It’s just the food, really.” But Lucas’s choice to cut back doesn’t mean he has to give up his not-so-guilty pleasures. He said, “I just don’t eat as much, but I still eat sweets.”
In fact, Lucas should prepare his sweet tooth for the new season of The Great British Baking Show, which started in the UK on Wednesday (where it’s called The Great British Bake Off) and is on Netflix on Friday.
Once again, a dozen of Britain’s best home bakers went to the famous white tent on a huge country estate to have their cakes judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, two of the best in the business.
“Over the next 10 weeks, they’ll face 30 brand-new challenges,” co-host Noel Fielding said in the season’s trailer, which People was the first to show the public on Wednesday.
As in past seasons, each episode will take place over the course of a weekend and include three challenges: a signature bake, a technical (blind) bake, and a showstopper bake. Each challenge has its own theme.
Lucas said in the trailer that the first thing will be “amazing cakes,” starting with “a batch of delicious signature sandwiches, a classic American cake that will catch some red-handed, and a show-stopping home bake that will expose any shaky foundations.”
This year’s bakers are as different as ever. They include a music teacher, a nanny, and a woman who used to run a charity. They also include an IT manager, an architectural assistant, and a nuclear scientist.
“I’ve always wanted to apply, but I’ve never been brave enough to do it. This year I decided to give it a try, so I’m here,” said one baker, before adding, “I’m so worried.”
“I work in a grocery store behind the registers. I’ve never done anything bigger than this. Things like this don’t happen to me,” said another, while her rival joked, “My partner told me, ‘Fake it until you make it,’ so that’s what I’m doing.”
At least one of the other people there isn’t just there to bake. She pointed to a popular Game of Thrones character and said, “I’m interested to see if Paul’s eyes are as blue as people say they are in real life.” “Something like a White Walker. Look deep inside yourself!”