Who Is Cherish Finden? Meet the New Celebrity Bake Off Judge for 2026

July 16, 2025 – There’s a fresh face joining the tent for Celebrity Bake Off 2026. After Prue Leith stepped away from the celebrity edition of the beloved show, reports from The Sun confirm that Cherish Finden, the well-known pastry chef from Bake Off: The Professionals, is stepping in to take her place alongside Paul Hollywood.

Who Is Cherish Finden?

Cherish Finden is a Singapore-born pastry chef with decades of international culinary experience. She rose to TV fame as a judge on Bake Off: The Professionals, where she gained a reputation for her sharp critiques and impeccable attention to detail—often measuring desserts with a ruler to ensure perfection.

But she’s not just strict—Finden is also known for her fairness and professionalism. Before filming challenges, she tries them out herself to ensure they’re realistic within the time limits.

Her Culinary Journey

Cherish started working in a restaurant at just 14 years old. She later enrolled in pastry courses at Shatec Institutes, one of Singapore’s top culinary schools. Her career took off quickly, leading her to work in some of Singapore’s finest hotels, including the luxurious Raffles Hotel.

In 2001, she moved to London and became Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham Hotel, where she helped earn Palm Court the award for Top London Afternoon Tea by the Tea Guild in 2010. In 2012, she was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

SHIOK! and Her Singaporean Heritage

More recently, Cherish opened her own patisserie, SHIOK!, inside Pan Pacific London, where she paid tribute to her Singaporean roots. Standout desserts included the Kopi Tarik (a coffee-flavored creation) and a lemon and raspberry compote handbag dessert. In 2023, she left SHIOK! to pursue a new chapter in her career.

What to Expect from Celebrity Bake Off 2026?

The 2026 season of Celebrity Bake Off is set to return in spring, once again raising money for Stand Up To Cancer. While the full celebrity lineup hasn’t been announced, rumored participants include:

• Mutya Buena (Sugababes)

• Ambika Mod (One Day)

• Molly-Mae Hague (Love Island)

• Rag’n’Bone Man (musician)

The show will continue to air on Channel 4, and while a premiere date hasn’t been confirmed, it typically starts airing between March and April.

Why Prue Leith Left

Prue Leith, who has judged on The Great British Bake Off since 2017, stepped back from the celebrity version in 2024. She explained during an interview on This Morning that filming commitments were overwhelming: “You start in April, and you end in August. Honestly, you get no time off. I’m getting a bit old and there are places I want to go to and other things I want to do.”

Her friend, Caroline Waldegrave OBE, filled in temporarily, but now the torch has officially passed to Cherish Finden.