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Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood marries landlady of The Chequers Inn, in Smarden

Celebrity baker Paul Hollywood has tied the knot with his Kent wife in a lavish ceremony abroad.

The Great British Bake Off judge married partner Melissa Spalding – landlady of The Chequers Inn in Smarden – in Cyprus, according to the MailOnline.

Hollywood began dating Melissa Spalding in 2019. Picture: Steve Crispe
Hollywood began dating Melissa Spalding in 2019. Picture: Steve Crispe

The pair said their vows yesterday afternoon in a Byzantine-style chapel set in the grounds of an exclusive hotel in front of 75 friends and family.

The venue is part of the luxury Anassa Hotel on an unspoilt area on the northwest of the island.

It is reported celebrities such as fellow Bake Off star Prue Leith were among family and friends on the guest list.

Paul’s wife is the landlady at The Chequers Inn in Smarden
Paul’s wife is the landlady at The Chequers Inn in Smarden

The couple were pictured soaking up the sun with their family ahead of the big day.

Hollywood, 57, who previously lived in Wingham, near Canterbury, lived in Cyprus during the 1990s and worked at the same hotel as head baker.

He met his ex-wife, Alexandra, there and they got married in 1998 but split in 2017.

He began dating Melissa Spalding, 39, four years ago after meeting at her pub.

Fellow judge Prue Leith is reported to have been among guests
Fellow judge Prue Leith is reported to have been among guests

It iw understood they live together in Paul's 18th-century farmhouse in Smarden near Ashford.

The Chequers Inn, a Grade II-listed pub, has been owned by the Spalding family for several years but was recently put on the market for almost £1 million.

The venue has seven rooms, a 35-cover bar, a 37-cover restaurant with a pizza oven, and a large two-bedroom owner's accommodation.

Last week, the owners rubbished speculation that Johnny Depp is interested in buying it.

"It’s an absolute load of rubbish,” the owner told this website.

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