Paul Hollywood’s 22 year old girlfriend has spoken out about criticism about the 30 year age difference between them, brushing it off and saying doesn’t “bother her”.

Summer Monteys-Fullam met the ‘Great British Bake Off’ judge, 52, while working behind the bar at his local pub where he had organised a birthday party for his now-estranged wife. In her first public interview since their relationship was revealed, she said that she initially struggled with the exposure, but now she’s “loving life”.

“I’m fine and I’m enjoying life. I’m not upset… I’m happy. Why should it [the age gap] bother me?” she told MailOnline on Thursday (April 19th). “There are many other people in the world with age gaps, and marriages and kids and everything else and I’m fine.”

Paul HollywoodPaul Hollywood (l) with the old BBC 'Bake Off' team - Mel Giedroyc, Mary Berry and Sue Perkins

In response to some vociferous criticism that she was a homewrecker, Summer assured readers that their relationship began “way after his marriage ended”.

During their short romance, which reportedly began in November 2017, Hollywood has spent time in America with his new beau, while also apparently taking her to a lavish Mauritius resort and staying in a £1,000-per-night hotel.

More: Mary Berry admits to having her differences with ‘Bake Off’ co-judge Paul Hollywood [archive]

Hollywood, who still presents the ‘Great British Bake Off’ on its new home at Channel 4, announced in November 2017 – the same time he started dating Monteys-Fullam – that he was divorcing his wife of 20 years. He and Alexandra have one son, Josh, who was born in 2001.

He had briefly separated from her back in 2013 after he admitted to having an affair with colleague Marcela Valladolid, who was his co-host on the ill-fated American version of ‘Bake Off’.

However, Hollywood reconciled with Alexandra just a few months later, announcing that their marriage was back to being solid after he had made what he called “the biggest mistake of my life”.

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