Alexandra Hollywood: Who Is Paul Hollywood’s Ex-Wife?
The Great British Bake Off judge Paul’s ex wife Alexandra Hollywood had her heart broken not once but twice by the silver fox, but who exactly is she?
| How old is she? | She’s 55! |
| How long were they married for? | For 21 years. |
Read on to find out the details of her marriage (and divorce) with Bake- Off star, and silver fox, Paul Hollywood…
Image Source/ Hello Magazine
How did Paul and Alexandra Hollywood meet?
The former couple met in Cyprus! Both were working at a five-star hotel; Paul as Head Baker and Alexandra as a scuba diving instructor.
The pair decided to married in 1998 on the island. Together they have a son, Josh, who was born in October 2001.
Their marriage hasn’t always been easy – in 2013 the pair separated when Paul had an affair with his The American Baking Competition co-host, Marcela Valladolid. Paul has called the affair the ‘biggest mistake’ of his life.
The pair reconciled for their son, but decided to split in 2017 after a 20 year marriage. They were granted a divorce at the central family court in London in November 2017.
Alexandra said:
‘It is with sadness that we have decided to separate.
‘Our focus continues to be the happiness of our son, and we would ask the press and public to allow us privacy as a family during this very difficult time’.
Image Source/ The Sun
More about the divorce…
In July, the pair were granted a decree nisi after Alexandra admitted to the judge that living with Paul was ‘unbearable’.
Alexandra believes that she is entitled to half of TV baker’s fortune – £10 million – but he does not agree with this.
The pair have been fighting about this for more than two years now, and it was recently disclosed that they would be using an arbitrator to settle their differences as they cannot come to a conclusion that they are both happy with.
How did the divorce affect her?..
Paul’s estranged wife revealed to Prima magazine:
‘No one should underestimate how separation and divorce can hit you. I compare it to a moment where you’re driving along the motorway and then the next moment, something beyond your control happens and you’re driving in a completely different direction.
‘You can do this and you are not alone. You’ll find new friends and value your old ones all the more… no matter how hard it gets, you’ll always have choices. So make sure you make the best choice for YOU.
‘I don’t regret taking Paul back that first time.
‘It was the right thing to do for me and my son. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if you make a decision you stick with it’.
She went further into this on her Instagram:
‘A year ago my marriage ended.
‘There have been stories and speculation about the reasons why and to say it’s been a rough ride is somewhat of an understatement.
‘But 12 months on I’m still here, I’m still standing, and even though this has to have been the toughest time of my life so far, I still have much to be thankful for’.
‘I’m sure at some point I’d like to go out for dinner and a drink with someone. I don’t know how easy it will be to trust again, but I’d like to think I would’.
What does she do?
Alexandra is a food writer and chef. Ah, so now we see the connection.
She’s said:
‘Food is my passion; it always has been. I can’t imagine not cooking every day. I would have to be super ill not to…
She goes on to say:
‘I do it for the people I love. It’s my way of showing nurture and care’.
She started out working with high-profile chefs as well as developing recipes for them.
Alex likes to share her recipes on social media and was given a book deal with Hodder and Stoughton.
Throughout her career Alex has actively been working with high-profile celebrity chefs assisting in recipe development and writing. In 2015 she released, My Busy Kitchen: A Lifetime of Family Recipes.
Her second book, Cooking Tonight: Simple Recipes to Put the Joy Back Into Weekday Suppers, was published in 2017.
Her recipes have been published in Prima Magazine, The Daily Mail, The Times and The Mail on Sunday.
She has also cooked her recipes on TV, for example, she is a regular on ITV’s Lorraine and This Morning.
Video Source/ YouTube
Does she get on with Paul’s new girlfriend? (The one he allegedly cheated with)
The Great British Bake Off’s judge started a new relationship with 24-year old former barmaid, Summer Monteys-Fullam.
It is rumoured that the pair got together when Paul was still with Alexandra – hence why Alexandra filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery.
In February, Alex and Summer got into a public argument when they bumped into each other at Marks and Spencer. Not what you need on the weekly shop…
Passersby commented that the 54-year old called Summer both a ‘slut’ and a ‘whore’. Ouch.
Alex was with a friend who said:
‘She was so shocked to see Summer that all she could say was, “Do you know how much you’ve hurt my son?”
‘Summer laughed and started filming as Alex walked to her car.
‘That’s when the other women started verbally abusing her. Alex was shaken and called the police’.
The Kent police have since confirmed that they did attend a disturbance.
Then, fast forward to August- Paul and Summer actually broke up!
Alexandra Hollywood Diagnosed With Cancer
In June she revealed on her Instagram that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer. She’s had a rough ride!
She wrote:
‘So here’s the thing… I wanted you lot to see this because I know that we’re all scared of the ‘C’ word… I’m lucky, this is no big deal but it’s a bit of a wake-up call and payback for those years I spent poolside and mucking around in boats as a Scuba Instructor, in and out of the water with little or no sunscreen!
‘We all need to be more self-aware, so with that in mind – I really hope you’ll all have a good look at yourselves tonight in the bathroom mirror – and if you’re not sure about something… go see your GP!’
Image Source/ Evening Standard
We commend her for being so brave and open about her divorce, and most importantly spreading the message about skin cancer! We wish her all the best…