Great British Bake Off’s youngest contestant Martha Collison has given birth to her first baby, a little boy who arrived a little late.
Martha, 27, shared photos of her beautiful baby on Instagram, as well as a photo of her husband Michael Haywood carrying the baby out of the hospital.
Sharing the baby’s unusual name, she wrote: “My ray of sunshine is here ☀️ Our little Kenny arrived last Saturday afternoon, 9 days overcooked and weighing 8lb 4oz.
“Kenaniah Jude, you changed our entire world and we are so grateful that you are ours.”
Martha first revealed that she and Michael were expecting a baby on New Year’s Day.
She rose to fame on Bake Off in 2014, aged just 17, delighting judges at the time, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, with talent beyond her years.
Showing off her baby bump in a duo of snaps, Martha wrote: “Christmas with our own little pudding, should be ready in spring”, alongside the hashtags “#BabyBaker” and “#BunInTheOven”.
Martha shared the post on her Instagram Story with the additional caption “Beyond gratitude for this small blessing, our family is growing.”
The Baker reached the quarter-finals of the GBBO in 2014 and the series was ultimately won by retired coaching director Nancy Birtwhistle.
Some of the biggest names in the culinary world flooded Martha’s social comments to offer their congratulations when her pregnancy was first revealed.
MasterChef semi-finalist Nisha Parmar wrote: “OMG!!! Martha!! This is the best bun you’ve ever baked!!! So happy for you both!! Congratulations.’
Manon Lagrève, quarter-finalist of the ninth series, who is pregnant with her second child, commented: “Awwww yeah!!!! This is the best news!!!!! Our babies are born at the same time.
Frances Quinn, who won Bake Off the year before Martha competed and also made the world’s largest Jaffa cake, also wrote a sweet message.
She wrote: “Oh Martha, congratulations, darling, I’m so happy for you, Michael and the whole family! ”You’re going to be the most wonderful mom and sending you so much love and hugs Xx’.
Nancy Birtwhistle, who won the series of Bake Off that Martha competed in, wrote: “Yeah lovely Martha x.”
Martha married Michael in 2019, and winner Nancy was among the guests, as were several other series five contestants.
The couple got engaged in January 2018 after three years together.
Finalist Richard Burr also attended the nuptials with Chetna Makan, Claire Goodwin, Iain Watters, Enwezor Nzegwu, Diana Beard and Kate Henry.
Each competitor brought a cake with them; there was lemon cake, chocolate cake, red velvet cake and many more.
Martha’s series is responsible for some iconic Bake Off moments, particularly BinGate, where contestant Ian Watters threw his Baked Alaska in the trash.
Martha is currently a columnist for Waitrose Magazine and show manager at Virgin Radio UK. She has published two cookbooks: Twist and Crave.
The 17th series of Bake Off aired from September to November 2023, with Matty Edgell in the lead.
The program also airs two festive specials per year: The Great Christmas Bake Off and The Great New Year’s Bake Off, both featuring previous contestants.
