Bake Off winner Matty Edgell has revealed that he is engaged to his girlfriend Lara after being crowned the champion in the final.
The news was shared just after the teacher, 28, overcame competition from Josh and Dan to win the Channel 4 series on Tuesday night’s episode.
Following the announcement that Matty had won, The Great British Bake Off’s X (formerly Twitter) account shared a post congratulating Matty and Lara on their engagement.
The post read: ‘A huge congratulations from all of us at Bake Off to Matty and Lara on their engagement!’
Matty revealed in his exit interview that he had proposed during a trip to Sorrento in Italy and gushed that it was one of the ‘happiest moments of his life’.
Bake Off winner Matty Edgell has revealed that he is engaged to his girlfriend Lara after being crowned the champion in the final
The news was shared just after the teacher, 28, overcame competition from Josh and Dan to win the Channel 4 series on Tuesday night’s episode
Lara (centre in white dress) was present when the final was filmed as she watched her fiancé win the show
In the photo Lara showed off her beautiful dazzling ring as he hugged her and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek.
The PE and science teacher from Cambridgeshire has yet to share the announcement to his own Instagram.
Matty has previously shared that Lara was the one responsible for signing him up for the competition.
After being named the winner, Matty said: ‘I don’t know what to say… everyone said you should go on Bake Off and I thought it was a throwaway comment and never really listened to it. I never thought I would be on the show let alone win it!’
He sweetly added, mentioning Lara: ‘I hope GBBO might just change my life a little bit, but being a PE teacher is something I really enjoy at the moment.
‘I loved being in the tent and another of my happiest life moments was when I got engaged in Sorrento to my fiancée Lara.
‘I am not sure what’s next for me, but my next big baking project is making our wedding cake. I am just going to keep enjoying it.’
Judge Paul Hollywood, 57, heaped praise on Matty after he was crowned the winner.
The chef noted that Matty got ‘better and better’ throughout the series.
He said: ‘He just got better and better and better and if you are going to smash it you do it in the last challenge, and that is exactly what he did.’
Dame Prue Leith, 83, was also full of praise for the new Bake Off winner.
Following the announcement that Matty had won, The Great British Bake Off’s X (formerly Twitter ) account shared a post congratulating Matty and Lara on their engagement
Matty has previously shared that Lara was the one responsible for signing him up for the competition (seen in the final with Dan and Josh)
She said: ‘I have never met a more cheerful, smiling, uncomplaining and willing baker.
‘He was just having such a good time, learning as much as he could, taking on board everything either of us said.’
Matty managed to wow the judges with his showstopper cake.
Despite this, the teacher joked that his eye-catching effort was leaning a bit for ‘dramatic effect’.
Dame Prue said: ‘What a great cake.’
Paul described the cake as being ‘absolutely delicious’.
Elsewhere, Dan made a lemon drizzle cake. However, the sponge cracked on his effort and Dan was told that the lemon flavour needed to be stronger.
Meanwhile, Josh’s Slice For All Seasons cake received a mixed response from the judges.
Paul observed that the ‘the pipe work is not very neat’, while the flavors were simply described as ‘adequate’.
However after the win viewers slammed the final result on Tuesday when Matty was announced at the winner, with fans insisting Josh should have won.
While judges Paul and Dame Prue heaped praise on Matty after they chose him as the winner, some fans of the show were not so convinced.
Many took to social media to complain about the result, insisting it should have been Josh who won the show.
One person wrote: ‘They clearly wanted the person who would promote the show best to win. He’s definitely not the best baker, that’s Josh, but that’s tv.’
After being named the winner, Matty said: ‘I don’t know what to say… everyone said you should go on Bake Off and I thought it was a throwaway comment and never really listened to it’
Matty impressed the judges with his huge celebration cake showstopper which was the final round of the competition
Josh crested a colourful pastel tiered cake during the celebration cake showstopper in Tuesday’s final
Matty beat Dan (pictured) to triumph in the choux pastry signature bake challenge and the celebration cake showstopper
Someone else shared: ‘We all love it when the under dog wins & happy for Matty, but I feel for Josh, that trophy should have been his.’
‘I think Matty is such a lovely young man but I think Josh was robbed,’ wrote another viewer, while someone else posted: ‘Josh was robbed because Matty is a better fit for TV.’
Another show fan commented: ‘Not convinced the right baker was crowned this evening. Josh was my winner from Day 1. Excellent series to watch however…’
And someone else wrote: ‘Matty is a great bloke but based on what we’ve just seen, Josh was robbed.’
GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF 2023: WHO ARE THE CONTESTANTS?
Tasha
Age: 27
Occupation: Participation officer
From: Bristol
Bake Off presenters have learnt sign language as the show welcomes its first ever deaf contestant.
Tasha, 27, is a participation officer from Bristol and will be joining the show with her BSL interpreter, Daryl.
She said: ‘When I had the Zoom call to tell me I was one of the 12, I cried. Daryl also cried. We were a mess.’
Amos
Age: 43
Occupation: Deli and grocery manager
From: North London
Amos describes his bakes as a labour of love – his style is colourful and chic with keen attention to detail, and he loves exploring different flavour profiles.
He compares his baking style to the converted church that he now lives in, calling both his style and home ‘traditional with a modern twist’.
Rowan
Age: 21
Occupation: University student
From: West Yorkshire
‘Go big, or go home’ is student Rowan’s motto, and one that he has always applied to his bakes.
A student of English literature, when he’s not writing up a storm, Rowan is also a keen host, applying his creative eye to his cooking.
Abbi
Age: 27
Occupation: Vegetable grower and delivery driver
From: Cumbria
A lover of the great outdoors, she forages for seasonal ingredients and puts her homegrown veg to good use.
Abbi’s bakes aim to combine comfort and familiarity with a strong nod towards nature, and a feeling of creating something magical – bakes with a touch of fairytale.
Cristy
Age: 33
Occupation: PA
From: East London
For Cristy, life with four children means that there always seems to be a birthday to bake for and an exciting party to plan.
She describes her baking style as enchanted and pretty – bakes that conjure up a sense of childhood.
Dan
Age: 42
Occupation: Civil engineering resource planner
From: Cheshire
Perfectionist Dan loves a baking challenge and will often find the hardest bake in one of his 300 cook books.
When he’s not baking, he loves to play football with his two young sons or forage for edible treats in the countryside.
Dana
Age: 25
Occupation: Database administrator
From: Essex
She loves a semi-naked cake with neat lines, pretty piping and minimalist decoration; and although she likes to keep her flavours safe, Dana will often incorporate a twist or two, adding in familiar spices associated with her Indian heritage.
Josh
Age: 27
Occupation: Post-doctoral research associate
From: Leicestershire
Post-doctoral research associate Josh is a chemist by trade and brings his scientist’s precision and keenness to experiment into the kitchen, taking careful notes on each part of the baking process.
Keith
Age: 60
Occupation: Chartered accountant
From: Hampshire
Keith has a penchant for apple pies and fairy cakes – which he learned to bake with his mum.
The treats form the baking backdrop to Keith’s childhood, along with his mum’s love for traditional dishes from her home in Malta.
Matty
Age: 28
Occupation: PE and science teacher
From: Cambridgeshire
He describes his style as rustic but neat, and his flavour preferences as quite traditional – he particularly loves chocolate, citrus and nuts.
Once his days in the tent are over, his nex challenge will be to make his own wedding cake.
Nicky
Age: 52
Occupation: Retired cabin crew and volunteer
From: West Midlands
Her favourite bakes are pastries, but she also loves making fun birthday cakes for her niece and grandchildren.
When she’s not baking, Nicky volunteers for a pet-therapy charity along with her dog Bracken and loves to ski, which she has been doing since she was only three years old.
Saku
Age: 50
Occupation: Intelligence analyst
From: Herefordshire
At her family home in Sri Lanka, Saku didn’t have an oven until she was 18, so she turned to baking only when she moved with her husband to the UK, in 2003.
Self-taught, she relishes using her homegrown ingredients from her vegetable patch.
