Friends star David Schwimmer “badly wanted to win” Celebrity Great British Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, so didn’t want to talk to anybody on the show, according to co-judge Prue Leith.
The 52-year-old actor, who played Ross Geller in the hit US sitcom, will appear on the baking competition, with a host of other celebs. And Leith, 83, revealed her disappointment at not becoming friendly with him until he started “loosening up” a bit, reports the Daily Mirror.
The contestants will be judged again by Leith and Paul Hollywood over a variety of challenges in the tent. Leith said about Schwimmer: “Well, he must have been *the* most famous person we had in the tent.
“And I was very excited about it. What I was surprised about, though, was I thought he’d behave like Ross, he’d be like he was in Friends, but he was actually very concentrated and didn’t want to talk to anybody.
“He just wanted to get on baking and he badly wanted to win. He loosened up after a while.”
Asked if his concentration paid off, she added: “I had no expectations for him at all on the food front and so I was very, very impressed. I think his daughter influences him a lot.
“He turned out to be much more [knowledgeable] about food than I thought he would be. He was great.”
Earlier this week, the Mirror told how Schwimmer had signed up because he was touched by the fundraising side of the show.
The dad-of-one said: “I lost a grandmother to cancer, my daughter lost a grandmother to cancer and my sister is a cancer survivor, so it’s important to me. I am just grateful I can help in any small way raise more awareness.
“I am here to have fun. I am here to raise money for a great charity – it’s a great cause and I happen to be a massive fan of the show.”
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Schwimmer appears in Celebrity Great British Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer alongside Tom Daley, former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson, Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden, TV presenter and cancer survivor Adele Roberts, David Morrissey, Jay Blades and Paddy McGuinness.
Leith said of the series: “Do you know I think this has been the best celebrity Bake Off so far. For me anyway.
“It’s odd, because I am so old, I often don’t know who the younger musicians and comedians and sports people are. But I just loved it because I thought they were a terrific bunch – some of them very famous – and all of them seemed to get on well.
“And I also thought the challenges were nice this time – they weren’t too complicated. The wonderful thing about celebrities is, because most of them are in the arts one way or another, or sports, but mostly arts… they are hugely imaginative.”
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