Who is Mary Berry? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In March

Also Known As: Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings

Age: 88 Years, 88 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Paul J.M. Hunnings (m. 1966)

father: Alleyne William Steward Berry

mother: Margaret Berry

children: Annabel Hunnings, Thomas Hunnings, William Hunnings

Chefs TV Presenters

Notable Alumni: Le Cordon Bleu

City: Bath, England

More Facts

education: Bath College of Domestic Science, Le Cordon Bleu

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Career

She began her career working at the Bath electricity board showroom where she conducted home visits and showed new customers how to use their electric ovens. She then worked at the Dutch Dairy Bureau for a while before leaving to become a recipe tester for the PR firm Benson’s. It was there that she first started writing. Her debut book ‘The Hamlyn All Color Cookbook’ was published in 1970. She has published over 75 cookery books in her life so far. She became a food editor of the ‘Housewife’ magazine in 1966. Later, she served in the same post for the ‘Ideal Home’ magazine.

She gained widespread popularity in 2010, when she started serving as a judge in the show ‘The Great British Bake Off’. The show earned massive fame and eventually became a significant part of British culture. It is also credited with reinvigorating the interest in baking throughout the UK. In addition, the show has been broadcast in many other countries around the world, and in many regions, localized versions are also shown. The show earned numerous awards, such as the BAFTA TV awards and the National Television Award. She also appeared in a series called ‘The Great British Food Revival,’ which aired on BBC Two.

In March 2014, she started appearing in her own show ‘Mary Berry Cooks’. She was then featured in another program in February 2015, in support of the Third World Charity Comic Relief. In November the same year, she was the subject of a biographical documentary named ‘The Mary Berry Story’.

In November 2016, it was announced that Mary Berry would present a new six-part series, ‘Mary Berry Everyday,’ where her cooking tips would be shared along with family favorites and special occasional recipes. The series began airing the following year.

For her contribution to the culinary arts, Mary Berry was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 Birthday Honors. Other honors received by her include an honorary degree from the Bath Spa University and the Specsavers National Book Award (“Outstanding Achievement” prize) in 2014.

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Personal Life

Mary Berry was born on 24 March 1935 in Bath, Somerset, England. Her father was Alleyne William Steward Berry and her mother was Margaret. She was the second of three siblings.

She contracted polio at the age of 13, and this resulted in her having a twisted spine and a weaker left hand. She had to spend several months convalescing in the hospital. This difficult period toughened her up as a human being.

She studied at the Bath High School, where she was not very good academically. Later, when she attended domestic science classes under a teacher named Miss Date, she began to realize her passion for cooking. Her teacher recognized her potential and encouraged her cooking abilities. She then enrolled at Bath College of Domestic Science where she studied catering and institutional management.

She married Paul John March Hunnings in 1966. They had three children: Thomas, Annabel Mary, and William, who died in a car accident when he was 19. Mary Berry is a member of the Church of England.

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Mary Berry Biography