Yahoo Lifestyle Midwife eliminated from GBBO 'gave it my all'
A baker who had hoped to "prove something" to herself has been eliminated from the Great British Bake Off tent in the quarter finals due to a "toppled" cake.
Illyin Morrison, 31, from Norwich, is a birth trauma specialist midwife and failed to rise to the occasion in week eight of the competition which saw contestants create 1970s-themed bakes.
She became the first contestant of the series to receive a coveted handshake from Paul Hollywood in episode one with her cinnamon cake, and had a fainting episode the following week.
She said: "I hope I haven't disappointed any of you; I really did give it my all."
The Channel 4 show, which started on the BBC and is in its 15th series, sees a group of amateur bakers compete against each other.
During the latest episode, contestants went from making a choux profiterole to a gateau and finishing with a cake elaborately decorated with all the flair of the era.
Ms Morrison said: "It was very sad and no baker wants to go out with a toppled cake."
In a post on her Instagram page, she said she was left heartbroken after her gateau collapsed, but had been shown a lot of support.
"Quarter finalist -a title I didn't anticipate having and am so proud to have achieved," she said.
"You don't get to this point of the competition without being at least an OK baker."
Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk ahead the competition, she said: "Like most people I wanted to prove something to myself that I could do it and getting into that tent is an achievement in itself."
In a departing letter shared in a post on X, she said being a part of GBBO had been a "massive" learning experience.
"I leave with memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life and a deeper understanding of myself and what I am capable of," she wrote.
"It has been a lesson in patience, determination and self-belief.
"I am a firm-believer in 'what's for me, won't miss me' and this was for me, what a joy! I'm excited for what is next in this new chapter."
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