EXCLUSIVE
S
ince being crowned
winner of The Great
British Bake Off in 2016,
Candice Brown’s career
has been on the rise. She’s donned
sequins and skates for Dancing
On Ice, held court on Loose
Women , been victorious on
Celebrity Mastermind and
recently filmed a role in new
British movie Love Sarah. But her
latest venture may be her most
challenging yet – she’s now
running a pub with husband Liam
Macaulay and her brother Ben!
Known for her love of super-
bright lipstick, the former PE
teacher, 34, married tree surgeon
Liam last September in a lavish
French château ceremony. The
pair first met in a bar and Liam
proposed in 2017, a year after
more than 14 million GBBO
viewers watched Candice
bake her way to victory.
With the star knee-deep in her
duties as landlady of The
Green Man in
Eversholt, near
Milton Keynes,
new! found out
more about life
behind the bar- as well as her
acting ambitions
and thoughts on
cruel critics and
body-shaming...
Hi Candice! How are you finding
married life?
Great. I’d like to say it seems
complete now, but it’s exactly
the same. Nothing has changed- apart from the ring on my finger!
Who does most of the cooking
at home?
I tend to. Liam is an incredible
cook and he used to do a lot, but
after Bake Off he said, “There’s
absolutely no point.” I think he
got scared! We live above the
pub now, which is a bit different,
but he’s on the end of all my
PHOTOS: PA Photos, Shutterstockrecipe-developing.
Lucky Liam! How’s it going
at the pub?
Really well. We’ve been
open three months now.
We’re still learning but the
locals are brilliant. I make
all the puddings, cakes and
bar snacks like sausage
rolls. People especially love
my sticky toffee pudding,
cornflake tart and apple
and rhubarb crumble.
Are you pulling pints, too?
I’m doing a bit of everything!
It was never about opening
the pub and then going, “See
you later.” I’ll be behind the bar,
waitressing or helping in the
kitchen. I’m also cleaning the
toilets, sweeping and doing the
bins out the back – I’m very hands
on. Last week, I was scraping bird
poo off deckchairs! That was
delightful, but I just pull on the
Marigolds and get stuck in.
You sound pretty busy. Are you
and Liam thinking of
starting a family?
Absolutely. We’d
love to have kids
and we have
done since we
met. But these
things take time- and the pub
is our baby at
the moment.
You recently shot
a cameo in new film
Love Sarah. What’s it about?
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say!
It’s a little British film, out next
year. There’s a strong baking
element to it, which is where
I come in.
Intriguing! What was it like
working with big names?
The whole experience blew
my mind, I had to pinch myself.
Seeing how it all works and
filming with the likes of Celia
Imrie was incredible. I’m not
going to win an Oscar any time
soon, but you never know – it
might be my next breakthrough!
Do you want to carry on acting?
Definitely. I love a challenge.
I actually think I’d slot into
EastEnders really well. Not only
is my Cockney accent perfect, but
Babs [Windsor] is one of my idols.
I’m a landlady in real life now,
too, so I’m more than qualified!
Who’d be your dream co-star?
That’s hard, but I love Jennifer
Lawrence. I relate to her falling
over [most famously at the 2013
Oscars] and not being afraid to
look a bit silly. People like that,
because we all have faults,
whether it’s funny teeth or wobbly
bits. But it’s fine, because all that
perfection we see on Instagram
doesn’t exist.
Speaking of social media, you
were trolled over pics of you in
your bikini on your hen do. That
must have been upsetting...
It was and as much as people say
ignore it, it is hurtful. But I wasn’t
aware that photos
were being
taken. I was
breathing out.
I’d just had
a burger and
a milkshake,
and anyway,
I was on
holiday having
fun with my
friends. I wasn’t
worried about
how I looked.Is body-shaming an issue that
concerns you?
It really is. With my teacher’s
head on, I think we’re setting
a horrible precedent for future
generations. People aren’t
straight up, straight down –
we have lumps, bumps and
stretch marks, but we should
be proud of our bodies. We’re
telling young people to be
blemish-free or stick-thin when
we should be saying, “No,
you’re fine as you are.”
On Bake Off you received
negative comments about
your bright lippy, too...
I know – but I’ve always worn
it. I was ruining my mum’s
lipsticks since before I can
remember. If you want to
wear lipstick, wear it. If you
want to put it on your eyelids,
so what? It’s nothing to do with
anyone else.
Is being vocal about certain
topics important to you?
Absolutely. I’m not just “Candice
with the lipstick”. I have thoughts
and feelings and really firm
beliefs. Being able to use
the opportunities I get as
a platform is important to me.
We need to work together to
change attitudes.
Do you think that’s why people
find you so relatable?
Well, I’ve never tried to be
anything I’m not. Nothing about
me is false. I pull faces
and I’m a bit of a dick.
It comes from being
a teacher and
encouraging students
to be individual and
never apologetic
for who they are.
You’ve had your
own issues with
anxiety. Is that
still something you
struggle with?
It’s not something
I’ve talked about
much, butShe tests her
recipes out on
hubby Liam‘ I’d love to star
in EastEnders!’
Former Bake Off
queen Candice
Brown tells
about her debut
film role – and
getting her
hands dirty
in her own pub
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Candice is a
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judge Mary Berry
in 2016