Paul Hollywood’s colorful past: scandals, heartbreaks and new beginnings | Celebrity News | Showbiz and television

Paul Hollywood’s romantic story is as varied as a cookbook, featuring everything from an intense first love to a share of scandal and regret.

Nowadays, the Great British Bake Off star – the last remaining member of the original presenting and judging team from 2010 – has found his happily ever after. Paul is enjoying his first year of marital bliss with pub landlady Melissa Spalding.

Last September, Paul, 58, tied the knot with Melissa, 40, at a luxury hotel on the pristine Akamas peninsula in north-west Cyprus. Bake Off judge Prue Leith was among the guests.

The couple began dating in 2020. At that time, Paul had recently divorced his first wife Alexandra on grounds of adultery.

In 1996, Paul, 58, met his first wife while he was head baker at the posh five-star Annabelle Hotel in Paphos, Cyprus. Before that, he worked as head baker at several prestigious hotels, including the Dorchester and the Clivedon Hotel, reports the Mirror.

Alexandra recalled her charming meeting with Paul in 2013, telling Mail Online: “He was a fantastic guy. He was absolutely adorable with piercing blue eyes and I thought, ‘Wow!’ I didn’t even look at the bread.”

She gushed about their whirlwind romance and said: “We fell in love very quickly. Two weeks was enough – we both knew it. Paul was lovely, he made me the most beautiful pastries for breakfast. Show me a woman who doesn’t do it like chocolate!”

Their wedding took place two years later in sunny Cyprus, marking the place where he also married his second wife. In 2001, they celebrated the birth of their son Josh.

As the Bake Off series debuted on BBC1 in 2010, Paul Hollywood became an overnight sensation. Having already made occasional appearances on television, he never anticipated the huge success that would follow after auditioning to star alongside respected food writer Mary Berry.

Bake Off has reached great heights, supported by the strong team of Paul, Mary, plus presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Paul, now nicknamed the Silver Fox, quickly amassed a legion of adoring female fans.

In a candid confession dating back to a 2012 interview with The People, the TV personality revealed the whirlwind of marriage proposals that landed in his mailbox and how he turned to Gregg Wallace and John Torode of MasterChef for advice amid the rise of stardom.

He shared, “I’ve known John for 14 years and Gregg for 10 years.”

His sincerity doesn’t stop there as he continues: “I really appreciate their friendship, especially this year when the celebrity part was overwhelming. It really hit me. I didn’t know what was happening. It was great to talk to them because they went through a similar thing. They told me to stay down to earth and normal, but my family will never let me do anything else.”

Although besieged by fan adulation, Paul managed to avoid temptation, but his growing global fame proved taxing, particularly while filming overseas. While serving as co-judge on US series The American Baking Competition in 2013, he sadly became estranged from his wife Alexandra with co-star Marcela Valladolid.

This dalliance sounded the death knell for the relationship between Paul and Alexandra, accompanied by deep remorse on Paul’s part. Pouring his soul out to Radio 5 Live’s Richard Bacon, Paul lamented: “I had an affair in America with my co-judge and it was something that… it was the biggest mistake of my life, because in fact I still love my wife.

Despite a short-lived reconciliation and attempts to repair their broken marriage, the couple ultimately separated for good in 2017.

Paul befriended young barmaid Summer Monteys-Fulham, then aged 23, at the pub where he threw a birthday party for his ex-wife.

Their romance was confirmed the same month Paul and Alex split, leaving Alex furious as she claimed her husband began an affair with Summer before their split. That’s when Alex filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery, with a source revealing she was “fed up with the lies.”

In an interview with Mail Online, Summer insisted her relationship with Paul began “well after her marriage ended”.

The relationship ended shortly after the divorce was finalized, with Summer expressing regret for her involvement with a celebrity.

Over the years, some contestants have been as captivated by the former Lothario baker’s blue eyes as his female fans. In 2017, he was seen kissing Candice Brown, the 2016 winner, at an event in London.

Paul is said to have met his new wife Melissa, 39, at her family’s historic pub, Checkers Inn, in the idyllic village of Smarden, Kent. A source revealed to The Sun in November 2022: “Paul proposed a few months ago, but they have been very private since. It was only last month that she started wearing her engagement ring in public and to share their news with friends.”

A friend of the couple shared with Mail Online that their nuptials were “very elegant”, adding: “Paul is very close to the hotel owners and they made sure everyone had a great time. He loves Cyprus and It was a wonderful setting for what a great occasion.”