The Great British Bake Off crowned its winner of the latest season of the show.
The honour went to Jasmine Mitchell, an Edinburgh born medical student, who was announced as winner, having faced stiff competition from fellow trialists, Tom Arden and Aaron Mountford-Myles.
Speaking about this, Mitchell, aged 23 had opened up about living with alopecia since she was 12, as well as her decision to live her life without wearing a wig.
"I hope that in winning Bake Off I have made my friends, family and Scotland proud. I miss being in Scotland a lot, I grew up in Edinburgh and it’s a big part of my heritage. I feel like the more time I spend in London, the more I long to be in the Scottish Highlands!", Mitchell said.
"If I had told myself three years ago that I would be going about my life without wearing a wig, with no hair, I would have laughed and said, 'Don’t be ridiculous’. I could never have imagined being on the Bake Off, let alone doing it with no hair.
"Life with alopecia has definitely been challenging at times. I am still very much in the process of learning to love it. But I am getting to the point where more days than not I am actually really enjoying looking a bit different", she added. "Having alopecia has (and is) changing my perception of what beauty is. Being authentically yourself, the way you were made to be, is so much more beautiful than trying to look like everyone else around you".
"When it was announced that I won, Aaron instantly picked me up and spun me around. My friends and family then ran over and completely surrounded me".
She continued: "This felt like such a testament to my whole Bake Off journey. I feel very blessed to have been encouraged, held and supported by so many people throughout the competition, without whom I could never have got to where I did".
"I am so grateful for everyone around me who carried me through the process especially my boyfriend Theo, my housemates, my family and everyone at our church who unknowingly ate my practice bakes".
"I have a lot of love and admiration for my fellow finalists, Tom and Aaron. I don’t think I would have been able to do it without them being alongside me in the tent".
The Great British Bake Off was presented by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, with judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Lieth.
