'Nigella could do no wrong' says Bake Off's Gabe

Person wearing a beige baking apron stands at a wooden workstation inside a baking tent, holding a rolling pin over a work surface in their right hand and a pan on a hob in their left. The workstation contains baking ingredients and equipment, including a mixing bowl, eggs, measuring items, a loaf of bread on a stand, recipe sheets and a saucepan on an induction hob. The person has visible tattoos on both forearms and is dressed in a blue sleeveless sweater over a white shirt with a dark neck scarf. Pale blue kitchen units, stand mixers and shelves line the tent behind them, while bunting decorates the tent walls. Large windows reveal a grassy outdoor area in the background.

Before drag performer Gabe walked into the famed Great British Bake Off tent they had planned to treat the show as "any other gig".

But when it actually happened, it felt "nuts", they said, especially when new judge and "icon" Nigella Lawson arrived.

"She's so amazing," they said. "I'm in the school of, Nigella could do no wrong."

Originally from Grimsby, Gabe has lived in Birmingham for the past 15 years and is one of three Brummies on the Channel 4 show, including fellow contestant, Mo, and presenter, Alison Hammond.

"We basically spent the entire time wondering when our bins were going to get collected, if I'm honest," they joked, referring to the city's long-running bin strike.

Last week viewers watched them make a Balti pie, paying tribute to the one-pot dish invented 50 years ago in their adopted city's Balti triangle, where Hammond goes for her curries.

"Birmingham very much is my home," they told BBC Radio WM. "So I felt like I needed to really represent Birmingham in a big way.

"Birmingham's got such a great food history. And to be part of that now, realistically, is just so fab."

Studio portrait of a person wearing a beige baking apron over a black, white and grey zigzag-patterned top, standing against a mottled pink background. The person has short hair, hoop earrings and a nose ring, with visible tattoos on both forearms. Both hands are raised in a gesture with thumbs and little fingers extended. A smartwatch is worn on one wrist and rings are visible on several fingers.

Bread Week has been Gabe's favourite so far, despite it being a "car crash after car crash" when numerous bakers' dough ended up raw.

"There was something so fun about all of us doing so poorly," they laughed. "There's a real pressure when you get to the tent.

"After we'd done that technical and no one's flatbreads worked, we all just let out this big sigh because we were like, 'right, okay, well, nothing we can do now can save anything that's happened, so let's just have fun'.

They added: "I feel like Paul was stitching us up, honestly."

Group portrait inside a large tent, with 16 apron-wearing contestants arranged around two men and two women. A man in a blue shirt and jeans with white hair and beard holds a chocolate cake topped with raspberries. Rows of pastel-coloured baking workstations fill the tent behind the group, with shelves of baking equipment and ingredients at the far end. The tent is brightly lit with a grassy outdoor area visible through the open sides.

The self-styled "daddy of Birmingham drag", who performs under the name Blü-Romantic, got into baking after watching the first series of Bake Off, aged 13.

They have spoken openly about living with two partners, Ellis and Tyler, and said public reaction had been "mixed" but generally "really positive".

"I'm someone who has quite often lived outside of the social norms," they said.

"When we got on Bake Off, I was like, all right, I'm going to talk about the boy band. I was ready for some backlash.

"We always say it's the boy band because throuple sounds weird, and if I say boy band, it means I can be the front man.

"The love that we've had from people who are also in sort of non-traditional relationships, they've really showed up and showed out."

Gabe showcased their drag persona in a self-portrait cake in week one of the competition, which saw judges smash a replica mirror to find their hand-painted likeness behind.

"Nigella called it 'profound'", they smiled. "I feel like I need to have that like tattooed across my forehead or something. What an amazing compliment."

The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesday at 20:00 GMT, on Channel 4.

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Original source 'Nigella could do no wrong' says Bake Off's Gabe

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