The Truth About Amanda From The Great British Baking Show: Season 12

If you're a fan of "The Great British Baking Show," you're likely already heavily invested in the current season, which started on September 21. Like past seasons, Season 12 follows 12 contestants as they compete in baking challenges every week in an attempt to win the title of top baker. This latest lineup of cheftestants includes a range of ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, from 19-year-old Freya to 70-year-old Maggie (via Radio Times). As the show chugs along, and the bakers try to impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood with their culinary creations, a handful of contestants have already been eliminated. 

One of those bakers? Amanda Georgiou, a 56-year-old home chef who had big hopes coming onto "The Great British Baking Show." While she left the show after an ill-fated pastry disaster in week six, the native Londoner doesn't regret her time on the show (via Mirror Online). Here's what you may not have known about Amanda and her life pre- and post-GBBO.

While Amanda Georgiou impressed everyone with her whimsical cake-making on the "Great British Baking Show," she isn't a baker by trade. The mom of two, who has a degree in graphic design, is actually a detective in London's Metropolitan Police force (via Radio Times). She told Mirror Online that her time on the show was the perfect escape from her high-intensity day job. "My most memorable moment overall is that my 'Bake Off' experience took me so far away from the harsh realities of the world," Amanda said, adding, "It will fill me with joy forever." (via My London) 

So how did Amanda learn how to bake as well as she does? According to Radio Times, she spent a lot of time baking with her mom growing up and learned about Greek baking from her aunt on her father's side. That passion plus her college education in design has inspired Amanda's creativity, and she loves painting directly on her cakes for added artistic flair. And while she may no longer be on the show, she's still grateful for the experience and for the friends she made with her fellow bakers. "I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of being with my Bake Off family. I have said from the beginning that whoever cast the 12 of us should start a dating agency," she joked (via Wales Online).