Bake Off's Paul Hollywood says 'I'm petrified' as he opens up on 'severe' health issue

Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood has opened up about his battle with a "severe" case of carpal tunnel syndrome, admitting that the thought of surgery "petrifies" him.

The 58-year-old baking maestro, who first graced our screens on the inaugural BBC Two show back in 2010, began his baking career over four decades ago when he left Wallasey Art School to join the family bakery at just 17-years-old.

However, years of kneading dough have taken their toll, leaving Paul with severe nerve damage in his wrists - a condition which could lead to a total loss of sensation in his hands if left untreated. In a previous chat on the Graham Norton show, the father-of-one revealed he was forced to stop baking due to the condition, before a doctor informed him that surgery was necessary.

Speaking on the BBC show, Paul shared: "I've got carpal tunnel syndrome in both my wrists, it's severe. It was diagnosed about four years ago, I went to speak to a consultant about it and he said 'Listen, you're going to have to have an operation'."

He added: "I don't actually bake as much hands on as I used to, I miss it. But now I've sort of stopped baking as much as I used to, it's actually alleviated a lot of the pain."

Carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes pain and numbness in the hands due to compression of the median nerve, affects around one in 20 Britons, reports Wales Online.

Paul Hollywood disclosed that his former 'Bake Off' colleague Mary Berry also struggled with the same health issue before she had surgery. "I did speak to Mary about it and she goes 'Oh I had it done,'" Paul shared.

"It's healed quite nicely, it just petrified me the idea of slicing the band. Because I race cars at the moment, it's really difficult. I'd rather not do it at the moment."

Earlier in the week, Paul, alongside Prue Leith, announced Chris Bisson as The Great Christmas Bake Off champion. The festive episode on Channel 4 featured a competition among celebs including Natalie Cassidy from EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale's Bisson, Dean Gaffney also from EastEnders, Sheree Murphy who has starred in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, and Shobna Gulati from Coronation Street.

Paul remarked that the decision was "very close" but ultimately Bisson, who "got better and better", clinched the title over fellow Emmerdale actor Murphy. Fans can catch Paul next on ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, where he'll appear alongside gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock, Alan's ex-Ground Force colleague.

Tune into Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on ITV1 London, Sunday 29 December at 9:30 AM.