Bake Off’s Tom thought he’d be rejected at every stage, before landing star baker twice

If there’s one person making The Great British Bake Off worth watching this year, it’s Tom Whittaker. The 25-year-old hairdresser from West Yorkshire has already made himself a name in the tent, becoming the first baker in this series to bag star baker twice. 

Via Channel 4

Tom describes himself as a northern diva, and his baking philosophy seems to be all about making things that are as pretty as they are delicious. Behind the witty comments and impressive creations, there’s a much sweeter story about how he got into baking in the first place.

Growing up, Tom would head to his nan’s house to bake while his older brother went off to play football. While his brother was busy on the pitch, Tom was getting stuck into the kitchen. And now, years later, he’s taking on one of the biggest baking competitions in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tom’s already had an impressive run on Bake Off. During bread week, he tackled a garlic bread signature, a tricky technical challenge and an ambitious enriched bread showstopper, earning himself another star baker title in the process. That made him the first contestant in the 2026 series to win the accolade twice. 

When he’s not making bakes worthy of Paul Hollywood’s approval, he’s off exploring the world with his boyfriend, Alex. The couple recently spent seven months travelling around Southeast Asia together. Now they’re back home and saving up to buy a house together, so hopefully Tom’s baking skills will come in handy when it’s time to host a housewarming.

 

 

 

 

 

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Despite his success in the tent, getting onto Bake Off wasn’t something Tom expected to happen quite so quickly. He’d dreamed about appearing on the show for years, but assumed the application process would eventually come to a dead end.

“I have dreamed about being on Bake Off for so long that I kind of knew one day I would get on,” Tom said ahead of his appearance on the show. “I never imagined it would be the first year I applied that I would get on.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tom GBBO (@tomwhittxker)

“I couldn’t believe it when I got the call. Throughout the whole application process whenever one step was completed, I just thought to myself right that will be the last one and they won’t be contacting me again but I couldn’t believe it when it kept on going.”

With two Star Baker wins already under his belt and some serious baking skills, Tom is shaping up to be one of this series’ most exciting contestants. 

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Featured image via Channel 4