Martha Collison, The Great British Bake Off's youngest-ever contestant, has spoken of the importance of her Christian faith and how it helped her cope with criticism during the show.
In an interview with the Mail On Sunda's You magazine, Martha also speaks of her passion for cooking from a young age, and how being just 17-years-old during the filming of The Great British Bake Off meant she had to juggle her participation alongside her AS levels.
Reflecting on the experience, she highlights how her grounding in the Christian faith gave her the strength to continue, even when faced with abuse in the media.
Faith gives a sense of perspective
Despite being a popular contestant, life in the public eye led to Martha being criticised for her appearance, and for being labelled 'too posh'.
However, Martha found her confidence and comfort was rooted in a deeper source, her faith. She said: "my faith gives me a sense of perspective…there's nothing to be gained in reading vile abuse on social media."
Huge source of comfort and confidence
Having grown up in a Christian family, she was keen to emphasise her own personal choice to be part of a church. Speaking of her church, who are often the first to sample her new bakes, Martha says:
"There is something so wonderful and life-affirming about being part of a church where the emphasis is on love and being loving. During Bake Off, my faith was a huge source of comfort and confidence, especially when I was being criticised on social media for my appearance, which was really horrible".
Life after The Bake Off
Martha was voted off the show during the quarter final stages, but has continued to use her skills in accordance with her faith.
She is now an ambassador for Tearfund, a Christian charity, touring churches as part of Tearfund's Cakes, Bakes and Faith fundraising campaign.
She travelled with the charity to Cambodia to teach women and girls to bake funnel cakes. These cakes are a valuable source of income to families, who are otherwise more likely to allow their children to be taken by traffickers. Martha was grateful and humbled to be able to use her talents in this way.
Alongside her involvement with Tearfund, Martha has been able to continue her A levels, achieving an A* in food science and a C in maths.
She hopes to take Chemistry this year, and is thinking about possibly applying for university in the future. She is currently busy promoting her book: Twist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent your Baking, which is a guide to all her favourite recipes with a few unconventional tweaks, and an emphasis on the science behind the process.
She is also a columnist for Waitrose Weekend newspaper and has baked for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations, which she described as a "huge honour."
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