Prue Leith makes surprise cosmetic surgery admission as she details 'life changing' procedures she and her mum had

Prue Leith is very open about most things, including her 13-year affair with her first husband, intimacy in later life and letting her husband buy her clothes.

However, she hasn't spoken often abut cosmetic surgery, and many would be surprised that she's even had any.

Yet, during an appearance at the Bradford Literature Festival, the cooking star shared not only her own positive cosmetic surgery story, but also revealed her mother had also undergone a procedure she described as "life changing."

Prue's mother, Margaret "Peggy" Inglis, an actress, even credited getting a breast augmentation with landing her the biggest role of her career in her 70s.

"My mother was 70 and decided to have a boob job," Prue shares, adding that at the time, she thought her mum to be "ridiculous."

Her response to Peggy had been, "Why are you having a boob job? It doesn't matter about your boobs, nobody is going to see them anyway," explaining, "She'd been a widow for many years."

Peggy explained that her decision was "nothing to do with anyone else," it was purely for herself because she'd "hated" her chest all her life - she felt her breasts were "far too big" and she was "sick of carrying them around."

Prue realised her mum was "much happier" after the procedure. "When she was 71, she got the job of her life," she explains, adding, "Which was the lead in a play, a huge play - she was never off the stage.

"It was fantastic, it changed her life." Prue then continued to reveal her own cosmetic surgery story.

"I had really bad bags under my eyes, you know, horrific bags," she shares, adding, "So when I was in South Africa, I quietly went off and had my bags removed."

"I felt fantastic for it," she says candidly. Although she doesn't reveal how old she was at the time of the surgery, she once told The Times she had it when she was 50.

"I had my eyes done when I was 50 and was very pleased, but I’ll probably never do my neck. My husband wouldn’t stand for it," she said.

Still hosting Bake Off at the time of the interview, she explained, "I just wish the Bake Off camera wouldn’t go round the side of my neck because I see fat bits, and when your head is down eating cake you get lots of chins - I’d like some of them removed."

Hearing her uplifting take on cosmetic surgery during the Bradford Literature festival, many people were inspired to comment when the conversation was shared to Instagram.

One person wrote, "Amazing. I did breast reduction at 60 and it changed my life, I did it for ME," with another sharing, "My grandma got her eyes done at close to 90, she looked amazing."

Another person said, "Absolutely - I love that story! I’ve just had my breasts reduced and reconstructed for exactly the same reason as your mother. I’m 63 and I feel so free and happy having had this done. I absolutely love my new boobs."

Somebody else shared, "Aging gracefully and tastefully. That’s what a bit of a nip and tuck should do. Love it, Prue."