Prue Leith and Caroline Waldegrave go way back to when Prue first hired her as a cook for her catering business

The Great British Bake Off will welcome a brand new host tonight as celebrities return to the tent to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer.

Caroline Waldegrave will be replacing Prue Leith on the Channel 4 show – and the pair go way back.

Prue explained they had met in the 1970s when she was looking for cooks to join her catering company, Leith’s Good Food.

But the former Bake Off judge revealed her first impression of her was ‘oh my goodness’ after seeking a slightly unpositive reference for Caroline from her old culinary school – as Caroline said her and Prue had ‘very different’ personalities.

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Speaking to the Independent back in 2015, Prue said: “Caroline applied for a job and I rang up the Cordon Bleu.

“I remember very distinctly they said, “Caroline Burrows? You don’t want to employ her.”

“I said, “Why on earth not?” And they said, “Well, she’s the naughtiest girl in school.”

“My first impression was, oh my goodness – but we adored her.”

Prue revealed the pair had become ‘pretty good friends’ by the time she became head cook and had always stayed in touch.

Caroline also spoke to the publication about her relationship with Prue.

She praise Prue saying: “I was about 20 when I met Prue. I thought she was larger than life, wonderfully smiley and friendly and organised.

“And she seemed fantastically grown-up. I hadn’t ever met anyone like her; she was so brave: she didn’t have any doubts, she would just do things.”

But she revealed they are ‘quite different’ in their personalities.

Caroline added: “I’m quite different to Prue. I’m probably more pedantic and she’s much bolder and more exciting, which is why we worked well together.

“She can talk to anyone about anything and people automatically love her.

“She’s courageous and she’s fun, she’s very warm and she’s sympathetic. She’s got all the qualities you need in a friend.”

The new series of The Great British Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer starts on Sunday, March 16 at 7.40pm on Channel 4.