Prue Leith gains a stone after injury left her wheelchair bound and scoffing Bake Off cakes

Prue Leith has discussed how her recent ankle injury led to her gaining a stone.

The 79-year-old Great British Bake Off star has opened up about the number on the scales creeping up as a result of being wheelchair bound after her Achilles tendon snapped during filming of the 2019 series of the baking show.

The TV personality revealed she is on a mission to lose the weight however she does not "feel guilty" for scoffing bake-off cakes.

Prue said at the Henley Literary Festival: "I’m a stone overweight at the moment, and actually I’ve been a stone overweight all my life," according to MailOnline .

She continued: "However, I’m particularly a stone overweight at the moment because I’ve spent the last ten weeks in a wheelchair, so no exercise and it didn’t stop me eating cake and doing the job. I’ve been eating cake a lot. But I hope I’ll start to lose it now."

The judge added: "I don’t feel guilty if I eat something really delicious and it’s my calorie intake for half the day, because it’s worth it. But it’s not worth it if you eat rubbish… if I eat junk food I think it’s very unhealthy."

Prue fell and snapped her Achilles tendon while filming the BBC show in the summer.

The award-winning cook was playing the Cowardly Lion in a Wizard of Oz skit, with Noel Fielding playing Dorothy, Paul Hollywood playing the Tin Man, and Sandi Toksvig playing the scarecrow from the musical.

Prue wrote in the Spectator "I leap out on to the yellow brick road, roaring - I feel a hammer blow to my ankle, and end up whimpering like the Cowardly Lion I'm portraying. I have snapped my Achilles tendon.

"Danny the medic, who has had nothing more exciting than bakers' cut fingers to deal with for three years, finally gets to use his ambulance, wheelchair and considerable skills."

But Prue showed a lot more bravery than her scaredy-cat character, as she soldiered on and continued filming.

After sitting with her leg in an ice bucket for once hour, Prue but her costume back on and finished the skit.

Her co-stars Paul and Noel helped hold her up as they danced down the yellow brick road.