Kate Henry saw her Great British Bake Off dreams crumble tonight when she became the latest hopeful to leave the tent - after a flaky performance with her pastries.
The furniture restorer admitted she was 'gutted' to leave the BBC One cookery show, just a week after she last faced elimination.
She was given a reprieve last week when judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood could not reach a decision on whether she or Richard Burr deserved the chop and did not send anyone home.
Builder Richard showed he had risen to the top once again after two poor weeks by being named star baker in tonight's programme - the third time so far this series.
Kate, a 41-year-old former actress who lives in Brighton, was the seventh contestant to leave the 2014 competition. Her exit came only a fortnight after she had served up the show's star bakes.
This week, contestants had to stamp their mark on savoury pastry parcels, rustle up French delicacy kouign-amann in the technical challenge and pull off some showstopper eclairs.
But Kate's results failed to impress. Paul said of her choux creations: "The chocolate ones are a mess from start to finish."
And Mary said of the less-than-showstopping eclairs: "Strawberry filling is too runny, the result looks a bit messy."
Kate, who lives with daughter Eloise, said: "I was gutted to leave the show but I am overwhelmingly glad I did it and I feel that although I have pushed myself in a tough situation, it's been very rewarding - I think it's good to put yourself through the mill now and again.
"I have learned so much from doing this, and that I can undergo a certain amount of pressure without completely falling apart. It's been an amazing and terrifying experience at the same time. As the technical bake was announced in the tent each week, terror is the only adjective I can use."
Kate, who grows her own fruit and vegetables on her allotment, went on: "I will, of course, continue to watch Bake Off, but thankfully I won't have to watch from behind the sofa any more. I have found it unusual and strange to be recognised from the show, but everyone has been so positive, I can't tell you how lovely people have been."
She will be a guest on spin-off show The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, hosted by Jo Brand, on Friday at 9pm on BBC Two .
