A hairdresser from Kent is among the next set of 12 contestants to enter The Great British Bake Off tent for the show’s latest series.
Lesley has been baking since she was 10, having learned from her nanny, Mable, and aunt Joan.
The 59-year-old lives with her husband Mark and her two dogs, Norman and Marley, and has her own salon.
Her clients can often expect a slice of cake when they come for a trim or colour.
Lesley, who has been a hairdresser for 45 years, said: “I never dreamt that I would be good enough to get into the Bake Off tent.
“I have applied a few times before, but never actually thought I would get through!
“I got the call from one of the team at 9.30am on a Friday while working in the salon, and I had to say I was going for a walk around the car park so I could speak to her privately.
“I really thought at first that I hadn’t made it and she was letting me down gently, but then she said that I was one of the 12 this year.”
The achievement is extra special for Lesley, as her late father pushed her to apply.
“I had dreamt about it, and it was one of the last things my dad said to me. He asked if I had applied, and I said no, and he said ‘do it’,” she said.
“The next day, I told him. It’s the lasting happy memory while he was so poorly in hospital.
“I got emotional as I knew my dad would have been very proud and I felt very overwhelmed, excited and a little bit scared!”
The baker has a granddaughter, Mabel, who she expects “to be able to do a curly blow-dry and bake a batch of cookies by the time she is five”.
She added: “It was really surreal when I saw the top of the tent as we drove in. I couldn’t really believe I was there.
“It was a real ‘pinch me’ moment when I walked in and stood at my bench.
“It was really surreal meeting Noel and Alison for the first time. They are both so lovely and very funny!
“Noel is amazing. His brain is full of weird and wonderful things, like a kaleidoscope.”
Other contestants on this year’s show include a scientist, a medical student and a bridal designer.
Lesley is not the first Kent resident to go on the popular show, which returns to Channel 4 on September 2 at 8pm.
Last year, Hazel from Margate took part, but was knocked out in the first episode.
