Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood… Will the Bake Off kitchen be big enough for both of them, asks KATIE HIND.

For a man known for his ego, sharing The Great British Bake Off tent with the very glamorous Nigella Lawson, a national treasure, was never going to be easy.

Paul Hollywood’s previous girlfriends, Mary Berry and Prue Leith, were wonderful, iconic women, but none of them took the spotlight away from the longest-serving judge.

But ahead of season 17, which airs on Channel 4 on September 22, Paul and Nigella have been hit by rumors that they haven’t quite coped out working on the much-loved series in recent months.

Nigella, the daughter of the late Tory chancellor Nigel Lawson, is said to have thought Paul’s habit of using his helicopter to travel from the Kent village where he lives to the famous tent in Welford Park, Berkshire, was rather tactless and stupid.

But any differences between them during filming would not have surfaced away from the public eye over the summer, when they pre-taped the show with 12 new cast members.

However, Paul and Nigella were seen together for the first time last night as Channel 4 launched the new series at the headquarters of the Honorable Artillery Company, the oldest regiment in the British Army, in the City of London.

Ahead of series 17, which airs on Channel 4 on September 22, Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson have been the subject of rumors that they are yet to get together.

Paul and Nigella were seen together for the first time last night as Channel 4 launched the new series (Paul and Nigella pictured with presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding).

During the Q&A, the pair – along with co-hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding – presented a united front.

They posed together on the fake green grass “red carpet”, although I noticed they weren’t standing next to each other.

“Nigella fit in perfectly,” Paul said during the Q&A. While the How to Eat author said they “all talked non-stop” and insisted that “the four of us get along very well.”

There was even talk of Noel and Paul driving to Nigella’s house, although there was no mention of whether it was by helicopter.

Since then, Paul and Nigella have tried to make it seem like they are best friends by regularly liking and commenting on each other’s Instagram posts.

But judging by the edited version of the first episode that was shown to us last night, they will have a hard time proving to fans that they have real chemistry.

It’s up to Alison, not Paul, to introduce new judge Nigella as “legendary” to viewers; the iconic Nigella Lawson.”

Dressed in a wrinkle-free navy jumpsuit, Nigella, 66, beams but Paul, 60, remains stone-faced as Alison and Noel tease him.

Even with their jokes about his ego, he can’t crack a smile. And it’s unlikely that his mood would improve if he saw how much airtime was given to “our Queen,” as Alison calls her.

The first episode couldn’t have been more Nigel-focused. The bakers are tasked with creating a chocolate cake that looks like a direct reference to Nigella’s famous Guinness cake.

It’s clear that Channel 4 is keen to make the most of its new big-money deal.

For weeks now, the show has been trying to downplay the idea that Nigella and Paul are at odds by promising that when I see them together, I’ll see it for myself.

But last night Paul seemed a little annoyed at the excitement Nigella Lawson was causing next to him.

Before they arrived, the broadcaster’s senior editor Vivienne Molokwu spoke of her joy at signing Nigella.

She called the food writer the show’s “extra magic ingredient” – a comment that probably irks Paul.

“I think you’ll agree that she’s a great addition to the team and brings a unique sound and perspective to the table that you didn’t even know you had,” Vivien said.

It’s been six years since her last major TV series, Nigella Cook, Eat, Repeat, for the BBC, and she’s barely been seen on our screens since.

Instead, the mother-of-two has been starring in shows for Australian television, including My Kitchen Rules, and as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia.

During the Q&A, the pair put on a united front with Paul saying: “Nigella fit in perfectly,” while Nigella said they were “all talking non-stop” and insisted that “the four of us get on really well.”

It’s been six years since her last major TV series, Nigella Cook, Eat, Repeat, for the BBC, and she’s barely been seen on our screens since.

The cast of Bake Off 2026 was announced on Monday.

Nigella, who was married to her second husband Charles Saatchi until he was caught on camera with his hand around her neck outside Scott’s restaurant in Mayfair in 2013, was announced as Prue’s successor in January.

It follows the popular food writer’s decision to step down as a Bake Off judge after nine years.

Channel 4 and the show’s top-rated creator Love Productions are hoping Nigella will boost ratings.

She was also said to “get on very well” with this year’s bakers, who were also introduced to the public last night.

They include a 32-year-old self-described “drag queen” who lives in the West Midlands with two partners, and a 67-year-old retired clothing technologist.

Nigella, whose first husband was the journalist John Diamond, who died of cancer aged 47 in 2001, published 12 cookbooks during her career and hosted almost a dozen television programmes, including her own, albeit short-lived, talk show for ITV in 2005.

In 1998, she published her first cookbook, How to Eat, which sold 300,000 copies and made her a best-selling author.

Just two years later, she released How to Be a Domestic Goddess, which won the British Book Award for Author of the Year. She got her start in journalism, joining the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor after graduating from Oxford University.

With such a string of accolades, perhaps Paul could be forgiven if he felt she stole some of his glory.