‘Great British Bake Off’ Judge Prue Leith Opens Up About Her Disappointing Experience With Weight-Loss Injections

Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith has spoken candidly about her short-lived experience with the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, admitting that the trendy medication left her exhausted, unimpressed, and ultimately no lighter than before.

The 85-year-old celebrity chef and food writer told The Times that she decided to try the prescription jab — known medically as Tirzepatide — for two months, hoping it would help her lose a few pounds. However, despite completely losing her appetite, she said she didn’t shed “a single ounce.”

“I hated the bloody thing,” Leith confessed in her interview with The Times (The Times, 2025). “I took it for two months, lost my appetite completely, and didn’t shed an ounce. Every day I got on the scales, and I still weighed exactly the same as before.”

Originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, Mounjaro has become one of the most talked-about names in the booming weight-loss drug market, joining competitors such as Ozempic and Wegovy. The medication mimics hormones that regulate blood sugar and appetite, often leading users to eat less and lose significant weight (BBC Health, 2024).

But for Leith, the reality was far less glamorous. “I was tired all the time, presumably because I wasn’t eating,” she said, adding that her husband, John Playfair, remarked she looked thinner — though not in a flattering way. “I think that means old and scraggy round the face,” she quipped. “As soon as I could, I stopped. It was terrible for me.”

Interestingly, her husband had a much different outcome. According to Leith, Playfair lost two stone (approximately 28 pounds) while taking the same drug and even found that it reduced his desire to drink alcohol. “He hardly drinks now,” Leith said. “And I’m a great boozer.”

The couple, who married in 2016, have long shared their contrasting relationships with food and drink. Leith, a lifelong culinary enthusiast, has often described herself as someone who “loves food too much” to diet strictly (The Guardian, 2023).

Her remarks come amid growing public debate about the risks and benefits of weight-loss injections, which have attracted both celebrity users and medical scrutiny. Health professionals have warned that while drugs like Tirzepatide can be effective, side effects such as fatigue, nausea, and muscle loss are common (CNN Health, 2025).

Leith’s comments also coincide with her reflections on career, motherhood, and the myth of ‘having it all.’ Speaking recently on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, she acknowledged that timing — and help — were crucial to balancing ambition with family life.

“I didn’t have my children until I was 34,” she said. “So I had my business under my belt before I started breeding. If we had married that young, I could not possibly have run the restaurant or opened the school. All of that was in ten years.”

The restaurateur, who built a culinary empire including Leith’s School of Food and Wine, added that no one can manage both motherhood and a demanding career without support. “It boils down to getting the help,” she said. “It isn’t possible to bring up two or three children and have a full-time job without help.”

Despite her negative experience with weight-loss medication, Prue Leith remains characteristically upbeat. As she continues to film The Great British Bake Off, the chef says she’s learned an important lesson: “There’s no magic cure — just eat well, enjoy food, and be kind to yourself.”

(Sources: The Times, BBC, The Guardian, CNN Health)