Great British Bake Off star forced to exit Channel 4 show before first elimination

The Great British Bake Off faced unexpected turmoil when a contestant had to exit the Channel 4 tent prematurely during the first episode.

Presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding returned to the famed baking show alongside judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. However, an onset source told The Mirror that one participant was notably absent before the initial episode concluded.

On the second day of filming, health issues forced a contestant to withdraw, with Alison acknowledging their absence for the remainder of the episode. The informant disclosed: "The baker was gutted to miss out on second day but they weren't feeling up to it and so they had to sit it out."

In another unprecedented event, the programme witnessed one of its quickest Hollywood handshakes ever when Paul gave his commendation within the first half-hour of the series opener.

Moreover, contestants were thrown a curveball as the show introduced its inaugural 'taste and bake' challenge, where each baker received a slice of cake to sample before being tasked with recreating it without a recipe. Alison confirmed the new weekly segment: "Each week the bakers will face a gingham-clad secret second challenge but this time there's an extra surprise awaiting them," reports Wales Online.

As Noel elaborated: "This is a taste and bake challenge. You have five minutes to inspect your cake and then you have to recreate it with no recipe."

On the programme, Paul revealed that Deadpool actor and Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds was seen with Hugh Jackman near the set, hinting at a desire to have Ryan and his spouse Blake Lively participate in the contest.

Noel shared on GMB: "I tell you what was really funny, we were about to film something and somebody said 'there's a