A fortnight before the new series of cosy TV institution ‘The Great British Bake Off’ returns to screens to basically signal the end of summer, judge Mary Berry has announced that she’ll be lightening her workload by quitting the junior version of the competition.

The 80 year old baking expert Berry has been judging on the show since it launched in 2010, an incredibly popular format that attracted average audiences of over 10 million during its fifth season last year. Ahead of the sixth, she’s announced that she won’t be running the rule over the children’s offering when 'Junior Bake Off' returns in November this year.

Mary BerryMary Berry will be stepping down as a judge on the kids' version of 'Great British Bake Off'

A source told The Sun, who first reported the story, why Berry had made the decision. “Paul decided to quit after one year but Mary stayed on, so it was still a strong brand. But now she has decided to leave as well. It’s not that she didn’t like the show, she just felt that it was too big a commitment with all the other stuff that she has going on.”

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However, she’ll still be fulfilling her judging duties on the 'Comic Relief Bake Off' and 'Sport Relief Bake Off' special editions of the show. “She’s incredibly spritely for an 80 year old,” the source added, “but there comes a time when even the most active of people need to slow it down a bit and start prioritising their commitments.”

Paul Hollywood, Berry’s judging colleague on the main version of the show, helped her present the first series of the kids’ edition back in 2011, but did not return for its second season two years later, with chef James Martin stepping in instead. Producers now face the difficult task of finding somebody to take her place before the third series airs in four months time.

‘The Great British Bake Off’ series 6 will kick off with its first episode on BBC One on August 5th.

More: Mary Berry vandalised Paul Hollywood’s car and signed her graffiti ‘Love Mary’