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

"The Great British Baking Show" (or "The Great British Bake Off" in the U.K.) Season 12 just awarded its glass cake stand to top baker Giuseppe Dell'Anno, who prevailed over fellow finalists Chigs Parmar and Crystelle Pereira for the coveted honor. A few weeks before that, fans of the Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood-judged show got to know the pleasant Rochica, a 27-year-old from Birmingham, England, who has a day job in human resources (via Radio Times).

Rochica had to say goodbye to her fellow contestants and hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas after she was eliminated in the bread-centric third episode of the season. According to Good Housekeeping, the 27-year-old's downfall was an excessively garlicky focaccia. Prue and Paul also thought the texture of her milk bread was off.

Though she was eliminated fairly early on, Rochica earned some love from fans. In a live Reddit thread during the airing of the episode, one redditor wrote, "I was really rooting for her- she has such a calming presence on camera." On Twitter, another fan wrote "I really didn't want to see #Rochica leave #GBBO ... such a lovely personality."

Interestingly, we might never have come to know Rochica if not for an injury that forced her to give up dancing, a pursuit since her toddler years, three years ago. Rochica took up baking instead, and pandemic lockdowns gave her time to hone her baking skills (via Birmingham Mail).

Rochica shared with Birmingham Mail that while her entire family, young and old, have shared in her GBBO excitement, her father has been her biggest fan, and knows her episodes "by heart." Coming from a large Jamaican family, Rochica's signature dish is a Jamaican Bun (a sweet bread made with warm spices and fruit). "I am proud of my Caribbean heritage and flavours," she told Birmingham Mail.

Rochica's "lovely personality," as one fan commented on Twitter, was on display in her graceful departure from "The Great British Bake Off." Good Housekeeping reports that Rochica wrote a touching letter after her elimination that reflected on her experience on the show.

"When I applied for Bake Off, I never imagined making it to the tent," she wrote. "This has been a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget." She called participating in the show a "huge confidence boost," and said she made "amazing new friends." Rochica also thanked the production team as well as her family for their support.

She reflected, "Mistakes happen, all you can do is laugh and learn from them...This experience has shown me that I shouldn't doubt my abilities as much as I do, so I'll continue to bake and challenge myself and see where it leads." We hope to see more of Rochica and her baking in the future.