Paul Hollywood has reportedly angered his neighbours after splashing out on a £500,000 helicopter.
The Great British Bake Off judge – who lives in a £1 million mansion in Ashford, Kent – is said to take the chopper out for flying lessons and to take his wife Melissa away on romantic trips, with a source claiming that neighbours have been annoyed by the noise.
Paul, 58, is said to keep his chopper at Manston airport rather than the nearby Headcorn Aerodrome.
The TV personality, who forked out £21,000 for sessions in a Second World War Spitfire, began training to become a pilot two years ago in a bid to escape the ‘madness’ of his celebrity life.
He explained: ‘It’s just you, a machine, and you’re away from all the madness. Of course I’m a bit nervous. But up there you’ve got total freedom.’
Paul Hollywood has reportedly angered his neighbours after splashing out on a £500,000 helicopter (pictured with an instructor on Tuesday)
The Great British Bake Off judge – who lives in a £1 million mansion in Ashford, Kent – has reportedly angered neighbours with the noise his helicopter makes
Paul, 58, is said to keep his chopper at Manston airport rather than the nearby Headcorn Aerodrome
Paul previously said he finds being a celebrity ‘horrendous.’
Speaking to the Radio Times about whether fame has been a positive experience, he said: ‘No, it’s horrendous.
‘I’ve always fought against the word “celebrity”, anyway. Right up to the age of 40, there was no way I thought I was ever going to be on telly.
‘This came out of nowhere, and you have to adapt to it.
‘There’s no school to go to learn how to deal with the press, or your day-to-day life, and how to block it off without going crazy and getting upset. You can’t.
‘You just have to grow a very thick skin. Now I’ve got a skin like a crocodile.’
MailOnline has contacted Paul’s representatives for comment.
Paul has been a judge on the hit TV show Great British Bake Off since it started in 2010, co-hosting firstly with Dame Mary Berry and then Dame Prue Leith.
The star was awarded an MBE at Windsor Castle for his services to baking and broadcasting in April.
Paul is said to have been taking his wife Melissa away on romantic trips (pictured in 2021)
Paul has been a judge on the hit TV show Great British Bake Off since it started in 2010 (pictured with presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding and fellow judge Prue Leith’
Paul, who was joined by family members including his mother Gill and received his honour from the Princess Royal, said he would love for the Prince and Princess of Wales to appear on the show.
Speaking after the ceremony, Paul said being made an MBE had left him feeling ‘very proud’, but he wished his nan had been alive to witness it.
He explained: ‘I was over the moon. When I (first found out) I told my mum and she was silent on the phone, which is quite unusual for my mum.
‘I wish my nan had seen it. She was very fond of the royal family, as we all are.
‘But specifically she would’ve been over the moon. But my mum was here today so she was loving it.’
When asked which royal he would pick to compete in the Bake Off tent, Paul said: ‘I think I’d go for Kate and Will – they’d be more than welcome!’
He later spoke of Princess Anne, who presided over the ceremony, and said that he had previously met her before at Buckingham Palace.
Paul said: ‘I’ve always been fond of the Princess Royal.
‘I met her a few years ago at Buckingham Palace when the (then) Duke of Edinburgh wasn’t very well. We were all with members of the royal family and I just happened to be there with Princess Anne. So to see her again today was fantastic.
‘She did say “baking is so integral to the DNA of us all. We love the smell”. And I said “absolutely, I grew up with the smell”.
‘I think she’s particularly fond of Chelsea buns. I promised her some, so I put myself on the spot there.’
When asked if the royal family were fans of the show, Paul confessed they were ‘fully aware of (it), yes.’
The star was awarded an MBE at Windsor Castle for his services to baking and broadcasting in April and received his honour from Princess Anne
