Paul Hollywood is a celebrity chef and television presenter. He is probably best known for his role as a judge on ‘The Great British Bake Off’. Although he is relatively well known, there are plenty of things that people do not know about him, so we thought our readers would enjoy reading some Paul Hollywood facts.
Our facts about Paul Hollywood include information about his career, snippets about his family life, some lesser-known facts about his hobbies and interests, and Paul Hollywood’s net worth. Here are 25 Paul Hollywood facts that you probably did not know.
Pauly Hollywood Facts: His Early Life
- He is from Cheshire
According to Wikipedia, Paul John Hollywood was born on 1 March 1966. He was born in Wallasey, which at the time of his birth was in Cheshire. Wallasey is now part of Merseyside. Hollywood’s parents are John F. Hollywood and Gillian M. Harman.
2. Hollywood was Originally a Sculpture
Paul Hollywood did not originally aspire to become a baker. Originally, he wanted to become a sculpture. He studied sculpture at the Wallasey School of Art. However, his father persuaded him to consider a career in the kitchen, and Hollywood left college to begin working as a baker.
3. He Worked with His Father in His Teens
Hollywood’s father was the proprietor of a bakery in York, and his father encouraged him to become a baker. After leaving school, Paul Hollywood began working alongside his father, and it was how he began his culinary career.
4. He Was a Late Bloomer
Many people now consider Paul Hollywood as a sexy man. However, he was a late bloomer when it came to relationships. While many men begin having relationships in their teens, Hollywood’s interest in women did not evolve until much later. Apparently, he did not have a girlfriend until he was in his 20s, and nor did he go clubbing.
Paul Hollywood Facts: His Family
5. Who Is Paul Hollywood’s Wife?
Paul Hollywood was married to Alexandra, also known as Alex, although the couple has now separated. They met in Cyprus while they were both working on the island; she was a scuba diving instructor while he was the head baker at a five-star hotel. The couple married in Cyprus.
6. Why Did Paul Hollywood Separate from His Wife?
Paul Hollywood separated from his wife in 2013, when he owned up to having an affair with Marcela Valladolid, his co-host on ‘The American Baking Competition’. Although Hollywood and his wife later reconciled, they separated for the final time in November 2017. However, they are not yet divorced.
7. Does Paul Hollywood Have Children?
Paul and Alexandra Hollywood have one son together, Joshua. However, the relationship between the father and son is strained. According to The Sun (https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9698724/paul-hollywood-shunned-teenage-son-two-years/), Joshua has shunned his father ever since the breakdown of his parents’ marriage.
8. James Martin is the Godfather of Paul Hollywood’s Son
James Martin is the godfather to Paul Hollywood’s son, Joshua. Martin and Hollywood became close friends when they worked together on the show ‘Use your Loaf’.
9. Is Paul Hollywood in a Relationship?
As of December 2020, Paul Hollywood is single. He began a relationship with Summer Monteys-Fullam in 2017 after separating from his wife, but that relationship ended in August 2019.
Facts About Paul Hollywood: His Culinary Career
10. Hollywood Has Been Head Baker in Many Hotels
After working with his father and in bakeries around Merseyside, Paul Hollywood began baking for hotels. Some of the hotels in which he worked include Chester Grosvenor and Spa, The Dorchester, and the Cliveden Hotel.
11. He Worked in Cypress
Paul Hollywood spent some time working outside the UK when he moved to Cypress. During his time in Cypress, he worked as the head baker at two resorts.
12. He Made the Most Expensive Bread in the UK
Paul Hollywood specializes in bread, and his bread is considered some of the best in the UK. In 2008, he made sourdough bread loaves with almond and Roquefort, which were stocked by the luxury department store Harrods. The loaves cost £15 each, which was the most expensive bread in the UK at that time.
13. He Is a Speaker at Food Festivals
Outside of his work in television, Paul Hollywood is also a speaker at several annual food festivals. When he appears as a guest speaker, he shares his culinary and baking knowledge with those who attend the events. Some of the festivals he attends are the Cumbrian Food Festival, the Cake and Bake Show in London, and the BBC Good Food Show.
14. Paul Hollywood Has Published Cookbooks
Throughout his culinary career, Paul Hollywood has published seven cookbooks. His first cookbook ‘100 Great Breads’ was published in 2004. Hollywood’s most recent cookbook was published in 2017, and this is titled ‘A Baker’s Life’. His other books are ‘How to Bake’, ‘Paul Hollywood’s Bread’, ‘Paul Hollywood’s Pies and Puds’, ‘Paul Hollywood’s British Baking’ and ‘The Weekend Baker’.
His Career in Television
15. He Is Best Known as a Judge on ‘The Great British Bake Off’
A fact about Paul Hollywood that most people know is that he is a judge of the food on ‘The Great British Bake Off’. He began judging on the show when it launched in 2010, and initially, the other judge on the show was Mary Berry. When the series moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2016, Mary Berry decided to leave, while Hollywood chose to continue as a judge for the televised cooking competition.
16. Hollywood Has Made Guest Appearance on Many Shows
Paul Hollywood has appeared as a guest on multiple television series. Some of these include ‘This Morning’, ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’, ‘The Heaven and Earth Show’ and ‘The Generation Game’.
17. He Appeared in a Children’s Television Series
Although Paul Hollywood is usually associated with cooking and baking shows, he took a step outside his comfort zone when he took on a small acting role in a children’s television series. He played the role of Ms V’s boyfriend in the final episode of the series ‘Sadie J’.
More Facts About Paul Hollywood’s Television Career
18. He Has Presented Several Baking Shows
While Hollywood is best known as the judge of ‘The Great British Bake Off’, he has also presented many other cooking and baking shows. Some of the series he has presented in the UK include ‘Paul Hollywood’s Bread’ and ‘Paul Hollywood’s Pies and Puds’. He was also a judge and co-host of ‘The Great American Baking Show’, which is the US version of ‘The Great British Bake Off’.
19. He Traveled Across the United States for a Series
Another series presented by Paul Hollywood was ‘Paul Goes to Hollywood’. In this series, he travelled 3,000 miles across the United States on a Harley Davidson. He started the journey in New York and finished in Los Angeles. He stopped in cities along the way to sample local dishes.
20. One of His Television Series Focuses on Japanese Cuisine
In 2020, Paul Hollywood travelled across Japan for the series ‘Paul Hollywood Eats Japan’. The purpose of the series was to reveal the culinary traditions of Japan and to highlight the best that Japanese cuisine has to offer.
Other Paul Hollywood Facts
21. Paul Hollywood’s Net Worth is £11.5 Million
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Paul Hollywood’s net worth is £11.5 million (approximately $15 million). He has made his money through his work as a celebrity chef, television personality, and cookbook author. The deal for his role as a judge on ‘The Great British Bake Off’ has made a significant contribution to Paul Hollywood’s net worth. Although wealthy, he is not one of the richest celebrity chefs.
22. He Loves Breakfast
One of Paul Hollywood’s favourite meals is breakfast. His favourite breakfast is sourdough toast served with two rashers of crispy bacon, and a poached egg. He washes it all down with a decent cup of coffee.
23. He Sits on His Bacon Butties
Paul Hollywood’s favourite sandwich is a bacon butty, and he always uses Warburton’s white bread. While this is not an unusual treat, his preparation method is somewhat unique. After putting the bacon between the slices of bread, he sits on the sandwich to make it thin.
24. He Had a Career in Motor Racing
One of the Paul Hollywood facts that many people do not know is that he had a career in motor racing. He began to pursue a motor racing career in 2015, and he predominantly races in Aston Martin cars. Most recently, he completed the 24-hour race at Circuit of the Americas in 2017.
25. He Featured in an Episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’
Paul Hollywood featured in an episode of the genealogy documentary series ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’. The episode revealed that Hollywood’s grandfather had served in the army during World War II, the Tunisia Campaign, and the Battle of Anzio. His great grandfather was a policeman during the 1850s with the City of Glasgow Police.
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If you enjoyed reading our Paul Hollywood facts, you might also find it interesting to read our other articles with facts about celebrity chefs. These include:
- Gordon Ramsay
- Gino D’Acampo
- Nigella Lawson
- Monica Galetti
- Marcus Wareing
- Jamie Oliver
- James Martin
- Gregg Wallace
- John Torode
- Prue Leith
- Hairy Bikers
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