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John Whaite

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Not to be confused with John Waite, the English musician.

John Whaite
Born
John Robert Cunningham

(1989-05-23) 23 May 1989 (age 35)
Chorley, Lancashire, England
EducationUniversity of Manchester
Occupation(s)Chef, author, baker, television personality
Years active2012–present
TelevisionThe Great British Bake Off
Lorraine
Chopping Block
Strictly Come Dancing
PartnerPaul Atkins[1]

John Robert Whaite (born 23 May 1989)[2] is an English baker who won the third series of The Great British Bake Off in 2012. He works as a chef, television presenter, and author.

Early life

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John Whaite was born in Chorley, Lancashire, and grew up on a farm in Wrightington.[3] He has two sisters, Jane and Victoria.[4] He became interested in baking at the age of seven, after his parents divorced.[5] As a teenager, following childhood mocking, he decided to change his surname from Cunningham to his mother's maiden name, and did so when he was at college.[6]

He won a place at Oxford to read Modern and Medieval Languages, but switched to study Law at the University of Manchester to be nearer to home.[7] In 2012 he gained a first-class degree[8] after sitting for his law exams while filming Bake Off. He also completed a summer scheme with top law firm Eversheds Sutherland and worked briefly as a banker in the Royal Bank of Scotland's asset finance department.[9][10] He rejected a career in law or banking after winning the series, and took classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London to pursue a career in cooking.[10]

Career

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Television

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In 2012, Whaite took part in the third series of The Great British Bake Off on BBC Two. During the sixth episode of the series Whaite sustained a major injury to his finger and could not complete the last bake. After making it through to the final, he won the show with his Italian sausage and roasted vegetable pithivier, fondant fancies, and heaven and hell chiffon cake. Despite winning the series, he won "Star Baker" only once.

Whaite has appeared as a resident chef on the ITV breakfast programme Lorraine, hosted by Lorraine Kelly.[11][12] He has also appeared on This Morning, What's Cooking?, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Sunday Brunch as a guest chef.[13]

In April 2016, Whaite began co-presenting Chopping Block, ITV's new daytime cookery competitive show with Rosemary Shrager where four couples compete in a series of daily challenges to win a prize.[14] A second series began airing in March 2017.

Whaite makes regular appearances, as one of its chefs, with presenter Steph McGovern on her Channel 4 daytime show Steph's Packed Lunch.[15][16]

In August 2021, Whaite was announced as a contestant on the nineteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[17] He was paired with professional Johannes Radebe, and they became the first ever male same-sex pairing on the show.[18][19] They reached the final as one of the last two couples, but were beaten by Rose Ayling-Ellis and her partner Giovanni Pernice.[20][21]

Cookery

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After appearing on Bake Off, Whaite studied for a Diplôme de Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, London.[10][22]

In 2015, John Whaite's kitchen cookery school, named John Whaite's Kitchen, opened in a converted 400-year-old cattle shed on his family's farm on Tunley Lane in Wrightington, Lancashire.[23] As of December 2021, this project remains closed.

Writing

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Whaite has released four cookery books. His first, John Whaite Bakes, was released on 25 April 2013,[24] and the second, John Whaite Bakes at Home, was released on 27 March 2014.[25] The third book, Perfect Plates in 5 Ingredients, was published in April 2016.[26] The fourth book, Comfort: Food to soothe the soul, was published in October 2017.[27][28] In 2019, he wrote A Flash in the Pan, which contains recipes for cooking using only a stovetop pan.[29]

Whaite wrote a column on food for The Daily Telegraph.[30][31] He briefly wrote the column "Hot John" for Heat magazine in 2013.[32]

Theatre

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Whaite performed in Strictly Come Dancing – the Live Tour 2022.[33] In May 2022 it was revealed Whaite was due to join the cast of the Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical Cinderella as Prince Charming; however, the production posted a closing notice before he could make his debut.[34] Whaite expressed that joining the cast of Cinderella would have been a "dream come true".[35]

Personal life

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Whaite lives in Leeds with his partner Paul Atkins, a graphic designer.[36][37] He announced their engagement on 21 July 2017.[38]

Whaite said he has suffered from depression.[39] He also said he has experienced bulimia in the past.[40]

In 2019, Whaite worked on a 100-acre (40 ha) farm in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, which he found via the World-wide Opportunities on Organic Farms website.[41]

Publications

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  • John Whaite Bakes (2013; ISBN 9780755365104, 9780755365098)
  • John Whaite Bakes at Home (2014; ISBN 9780755365135, 9780755365128)
  • Perfect Plates in 5 Ingredients (2016; ISBN 9780857833518)
  • Comfort: Food to Soothe the Soul (2018; ISBN 9780857835765)
  • A Flash in the Pan (2019; ISBN 9780857838278, 9780857836731)
  • Dancing on Eggshells (2023; ISBN 9781804191491)

References

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  1. ^ "John Whaite Interview - RUComingOut". 10 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ "john_whaite". www.instagram.com. 22 May 1989. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. ^ Dianne Bourne (1 October 2014). "Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite tips Luis Troyano as 'dark horse' of competition". Manchester Evening News.
  4. ^ "John Whaite". Sainsbury. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  5. ^ "John Whaite:why i'm supporting mind". mind.org. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  6. ^ Williams, Lauren (15 March 2022). "Strictly's John Whaite admits changing name after being mocked". Express.co.uk.
  7. ^ Roger Borrell (16 April 2013). "Wigan's fabulous baking boy – Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite". Lancashire Life. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  8. ^ "First by degrees: Manchester student wins Great British Bake Off". manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  9. ^ Copping, Jasper (5 March 2014). "Great British Bake Off winners buck reality TV trend". The Daily Telegraph. ProQuest 1504287487. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "On the rise: Manchester law student John Whaite wins The Great British Bake Off". Manchester Evening News. 17 October 2012.
  11. ^ Helena Kealey (5 August 2014). "Bake Off: the winners reveal their secrets". The Daily Telegraph.
  12. ^ "John Whaite". ITV.
  13. ^ Laura Mitchell (8 November 2013). "Great British Bake Off's John Whaite: Mary and Paul's support means so much to me". Daily Express.
  14. ^ "Chopping Block". 24 March 2016.
  15. ^ "John Whaite Tried Paddle Boarding Live On Steph's Packed Lunch And You Can Guess How It Turned Out". HuffPost UK. 30 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Steph's Packed Lunch - All 4". Channel4.
  17. ^ "Meet star baker John Whaite our fourth Strictly signing for 2021!". BBC. 5 August 2021.
  18. ^ Percival, Ash (19 September 2021). "Strictly Fans Rejoice As John Whaite And Johannes Radebe Become Show's First All-Male Pairing". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  19. ^ Khomami, Nadia (6 December 2021). "Strictly's John Whaite 'expected more criticism' of show's first all-male couple". The Guardian.
  20. ^ Swain, Marianka (18 December 2021). "Strictly Come Dancing 2021 Final, live: Rose and Giovanni lift the Glitterball in emotional finale". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  21. ^ Hogan, Michael (18 December 2021). "Strictly Come Dancing 2021, grand final recap: Rose Ayling-Ellis crowned champion after beating John Whaite". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Alumni John Whaite Success Story - Le Cordon Bleu London". www.cordonbleu.edu. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  23. ^ Sophie McCoid-SOU (25 February 2015). "Great British Bake Off winner opens West Lancashire cookery school". Southport Visiter.
  24. ^ Sophia Moir (26 April 2013). "John Whaite: How baking helps me battle depression – EXCLUSIVE". Yahoo Lifestyle.
  25. ^ Josh Willacy (27 March 2014). "The winner bakes it all: Great British Bake Off ace John Whaite reveals guilty secrets and making mum jealous". Mancunian Matters.
  26. ^ John Whaite (27 April 2016). "Take just five ingredients... John Whaite shares his favourite easy recipes". The Daily Telegraph.
  27. ^ "The 20 best cookbooks to buy this autumn". The Daily Telegraph. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017.
  28. ^ John, Whaite (3 February 2018). "Food to soothe the soul from John Whaite's 'Comfort' cookbook". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022.
  29. ^ Henderson, Paul; Whaite, John (1 September 2019). "John Whaite's speedy stovetop lamb recipe". GQ magazine.
  30. ^ "John Whaite". The Daily Telegraph.
  31. ^ "John Whaite". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
  32. ^ Hogan, Michael (18 August 2013). "Bake Off winners: where are they now?". The Observer. p. 5. ISSN 0029-7712. ProQuest 1425648664.
  33. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing celebs and pros announced for live tour". Digital Spy. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cinderella to close in the West End". the Guardian. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  35. ^ Yeates, Cydney (1 May 2022). "John Whaite 'heartbroken' as West End's Cinderella axed before his debut". Metro. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  36. ^ Parker, Olivia (17 September 2014). "John Whaite: 'It's nice to be emotionally detached from Bake Off'". ProQuest 1562574740. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  37. ^ "John Whaite and Boyfriend: Attitude's 'Love & Marriage' Cover". Attitude. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  38. ^ Semple, Ross (21 July 2017). "Bake Off winner John Whaite announces engagement to long-term boyfriend". Attitude. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  39. ^ "John Whaite: Baking is self-care to me says former Bake Off winner". Irish News. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite opens up about eating disorder battle". Attitude. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  41. ^ Whaite, John (2019). "John Whaite's life-changing trip to Canada—and the recipes he brought home". Sainsbury's Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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Awards
Preceded by The Great British Bake Off winner
Series Three (2012) 		Succeeded by
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