When the 85 year old encountered her husband 15 years ago, she had already spent nearly a decade as a widow after the passing of first husband Rayne Kruger.

Discussing the matter with the Daily Mail, she explained: "I figured the deeper in I got, the more painful his walking away would be. Better bite on the bullet now, I thought.

"So I weaved a mention of my turning 70 into my talk and rather expected him to sneak out of the church. But he didn't," reports the Daily Mirror. 

Prue stunned the entertainment industry when she revealed she was stepping away from Bake Off following nearly 10 years on the programme. She had taken over from the equally legendary Dame Mary Berry.

Just before confirming her departure from the baking programme, Prue confessed she wished to savour her life "while she still can" as "I haven't got much time left".

She told Vanessa Feltz: "I want to live life to the full because I'm 85, of course I haven't got much time left, there's nothing wrong with me.

"I suppose what's really changed in the last couple of years is my feeling that I want to have more time to travel and to see my grandkids and all that sort of stuff, really selfish things."

Prue shares two children with her first husband - Danny Kruger and Li-Da Kruger - whilst she's also grandmother to five.

The television personality, who initially rose to prominence on British screens through her appearances on Great British Menu between 2005 and 2016, confessed it wasn't an instant attraction when she encountered John as she "wasn't concentrating".

Prior to meeting John, Prue revealed she'd become comfortable with widowhood and "even liked it". She continued: "It had been liberating not to have anyone to consider but myself: no need to call home to confess to missing the train again; no need to put lunch on the table at 1pm; nothing to stop me eating yogurt out of the carton, standing by the fridge; no biscuit crumbs in the bed.

"Oh, and the bliss of sole command of the TV remote! Single status had a lot to recommend it."

However, she's now become accustomed to her husband's devotion, noting: "To have someone who is interested in absolutely every aspect of my life, from what earrings I wear to the welfare of my grandchildren, is like a shield against the world."