Meet the 12 Great British Bake Off 2017 contestants – including a scientist, a banker and a blacksmith
The Great British Bake Off's new era on Channel 4 is finally here, so say hello to the 12 bakers that you'll no doubt obsess over for a couple of months, all hoping to be crowned the king or queen of the tent.
Chuen-Yan 'Yan' - 46, North London
Yan was born in Hong Kong and moved to the UK when she was 2. She trained as a Biomedical Scientist and now works for The Francis Crick Institute as a Lab Research Scientist. She lives with her wife Marian and cat Kacey.
Chris - 50, Bristol
Originally from Sussex, Chris works as a software developer and lives with his wife Catherine. He is a cancer survivor, and is passionate about helping and inspiring others affected by the disease.
Flo - 71, Merseyside
Flo met her late husband Richard aged 21 while working at a sausage factory, and started baking treats for their three children. After Richard died two years ago, her son Stephen encouraged her to start baking again. She is now retired, and is the show's oldest ever baker.
James - 46, Essex
James lives with his wife Ann, two sons and their three chickens, and he works as a banker in Canary Wharf. He also trained as a port diver for the Royal Navy Reserves.
Julia - 21, West Sussex
Originally from Siberia, Julia met her British husband Matt on holiday in Turkey aged 17. After moving to the UK, she spent three years studying British bakes in the hopes of appearing on the show.
Kate - 29, Merseyside
Kate works as a Health and Safety Inspector, and also enjoys blacksmithing and restoring furniture. She started learning to bake two years ago, and prefers to use old-fashioned techniques.
Liam - 19, North London
Born in Hackney, Liam is known as 'Cake Boy' by his uni mates. One of his biggest ambitions is to make baking acceptable amongst his peers and the younger generation.
Peter - 52, Essex
Peter is an IT Programme Manager, and lives with his wife Tito and their two children. Born in Brixton, he moved to Nigeria when he was 7, but moved back to the UK aged 24. He started baking eight years ago after feeling unwell due to buying shop bought bread.
Sophie - 33, Surrey
Sophie grew up in Suffolk, and now lives with her boyfriend David and their cat Loki. After graduating with a Masters in Psychology at The University of Toulouse, Sophie joined the British Army as an Officer in the Royal Artillery.
Stacey - 42, Hertfordshire
Former school teacher Stacey lives with her husband James and their three sons. She enjoys using her Jewish heritage with her baking, including a traditional Challah every Friday night.
Steven - 34, Hertfordshire
Steven has a background in marketing, and began baking after his mum taught him the basics 25 years ago, and has lost five stone since baking everything he eats.
Tom - 29, Edinburgh
Architect Tom lives with his partner David, and was taught to bake by his mother at a young age. He often makes fresh shortbread for friends and family.
Photo Director, Hearst UK
Shyvonne Thomas is Digital Spy's Photo Director, looking after Digital Spy's and Hearst's digital brand visuals across the board. She also writes and conducts interviews specialising in the Power shows, anything Beyoncé, family days out, as well as championing content across Black TV shows and movies.
Having started her career as Shopping Assistant for Mother & Baby and Pregnancy and Birth magazines in 2010, Shyvonne moved on to become Picture Assistant at heat magazine in 2012, before joining the Daily Star, Express and OK! websites as Galleries Editor in 2014.
Shyvonne is an NCTJ-accredited journalist and studied an honours degree in Journalism. In 2021, Shyvonne was shortlisted for the PPA Unsung Hero Award. Shyvonne is also a proud mum.
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