DID YOU KNOW?

As the competition heats up in Bake Off: The Professionals (8pm, Ch4), we look at some things you might not know about the show’s Singapore-born judge…

● Cherish started in the kitchen young – when she was just eight years old, her father became ill and her mother had to work, so Cherish had to start cooking for the family. ‘I was the youngest of all the brothers and sisters and they loved my cooking, so I received many compliments from them. This made me happy, so I felt motivated to do it better.’

● Aged 14, she landed her first job as a waitress, but soon asked to help in the kitchen. ‘I did it on a voluntary basis and had great fun.’ At 16, she headed to cookery school, and discovered a love of pastry. ‘I was enchanted with the magical world that opened in front of me.’

● After continuing her studies and her work in France and America, Cherish moved to London in 2001. She continued to hone her skills and build her reputation, and was appointed executive pastry chef of the world-famous Langham Hotel, a position she held from 2009 to 2017.

● Cherish has challenged herself in culinary competitions around the world, resulting in more than 25 medals, including 18 golds. In her first year in London, she won the coveted Dessert of the Year award.

● She likes to keep her private life private, but she has spoken about her quiet life in Kent with her husband. The couple have a daughter.