Great British Bake Off host Paul Hollywood has made a staggering career for himself and brought home an impressive eight-figures back in 2023 – making him one of TV’s richest stars.
Hollywood started his culinary career after becoming head baker at a number of hotels including The Dorchester, Chester Grosvenor and Spa, and the Cliveden Hotel – before leaving the UK for Cyprus where he worked in two resorts.
After becoming a highly regarded chef, the 58-year-old has gone on to appear on a number of TV programmes such as The Generation Game, The Heaven and Earth Show, This Morning and The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
He later landed the role of judge of BBC’s Great British Bake Off in 2010 alongside Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, making a name for himself and being compared to Len Goodman and Simon Cowell.
Many Bake Off contestants strive to impress Hollywood, with those making an impression being given the chance to receive the “Hollywood handshake” – the Oscars of the baking world.
His partnership with Mary Berry has also been described as being the “secret weapon” of the show and potentially one of the best judging combinations to have appeared on reality television.
Paul stars alongside Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond
CHANNEL 4
Hollywood’s popularity has seen his brand now expanding across British and international TV, book deals, and supermarkets, among many other areas – landing TV shows such as Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico, Paul Hollywood Eats Japan, and the Big Continental Road Trip.
As well as his TV presence, the Channel 5 star has published a total of 11 cookbooks since 2004, with many of them topping the UK bestseller charts, selling thousands of copies.
He also has a hand in easy-bake products such as crusty bread rolls and his famous white bloomer bread as part of rangers in supermarkets such as Waitrose and Sainsburys.
According to Companies House, with all of his businesses combined, Hollywood is bringing home over £270,000 per week – £14.1million annually – matching that of top footballers.
HJP Media, which is owned by Paul himself, made an additional £1.14m in profit during the same financial year, with an additional £4m coming from assets.
Back in April, the star was recently made MBE by Princess Anne during a ceremony at Windsor Castle and told PA afterwards: “Anne did say that baking is so integral to the DNA of us all [and that she] loves the smell of baking.
“And I said “Absolutely, I grew up with the smell’. I think she’s particularly fond of Chelsea buns. I promised her some, so I put myself on the spot there.”
When discussing how his family reacted to the news, he added: “I was over the moon. I told my mum and she was silent on the phone, which is quite unusual for my mum.
Paul was awarded an MBE from Princess Anne
GETTY
“I wish my nan had seen it. She was very fond of the Royal Family, as we all are.”
The future of Bake Off was recently called into question after the shows contract with Channel 4 was coming to an end, leaving viewers worried that international streaming companies could bid to host the show.
However, Love Productions – who produce Bake Off – have decided to stay with Channel 4 after all, leaving Hollywood to return alongside Prue Leith, Alison Hammond, and Noel Fielding.
