Midwife eliminated from GBBO 'gave it my all'

Illyin Morrison from Norwich left the competition after eight weeks

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."

The 31-year-old received the series' first coveted handshake from judge Paul Hollywood

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."