Bake Off contestant faints during showstopper

Two women in a TV kitchen surrounded by baking tools and utensils. The contestant who wears a flowery headscarf is icing some biscuits while the TV presenter wearing a denim dress stands next to her watching.Image source, Channel 4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon
Image caption,

Contestant Illiyin Morrison fainted soon after completing her final creation on episode two of the Great British Bake Off show

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A baker said she felt "deep shame" after fainting on the Great British Bake Off as contestants prepared for the judging of their biscuit showstoppers.

Illiyin Morrison, 31, a birth trauma specialist midwife, external from Norfolk, fell to the floor inside the show tent soon after completing her task to create a puppet theatre out of biscuits.

A second baker also fell during the show - while another quit due to ill health during Tuesday night's episode.

The show producers, Love Productions, have been approached for comment.

The episode began with contestant, Jeff, leaving the show citing ill health.

'Pure adrenaline'

After fainting, Ms Morrison was put into the recovery position in the tent and could be heard telling a medic she felt "just dizzy".

Her bake, Strawberry Fields Forever, which represented her first date with her husband, was presented on her behalf by show host Noel Fielding.

On her Instagram page, external, she said during the challenge she was "running on pure adrenaline".

"I hadn't eaten since the day before... despite production reminding me to drink, I was immersed in puppet theatre engineering," she wrote.

"The moment they called time on the challenge my shoulders dropped in relief and my body followed."

Ms Morrison said she had never fainted before.

"Leave it to me to faint in a big white tent in a field on national TV," she said.

"I was enveloped by a sense of deep shame and watching it again has made it feel even worse."

Image source, Channel 4/Love Productions
Image caption,

Illiyin Morrison with other contestants including Dylan with beard (centre front) Jeff (far right at the back) and Andy (second from left at back)

Immediately after the judging, another contestant, Dylan, 20, from Buckinghamshire, was seen falling from his stool.

He had not fainted, but fell reaching for his water bottle.

Judge Paul Hollywood was heard saying: "What the hell is going on?"

Essex contestant, Andy, could be heard saying people were "dropping like flies" like in a murder mystery.

Ms Morrison became the first contestant to receive a coveted handshake from Paul Hollywood, with the judge telling her in the first episode: "Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful cinnamon cake."

The Great British Bake Off is a show in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.

Media caption,

Illiyan is representing Norfolk on this season of The Great British Bake Off

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