Matt Lucas piled on the pounds during Great British Bake Off

Matt Lucas has piled on the pounds following his \'The Great British Bake Off\' debut.

The 46-year-old comedian - who has replaced former presenter Sandi Toksvig on the show - made his first appearance hosting the baking competition on Tuesday (15.09.20), and he admitted he "put on a lot of weight" trying the contestant\'s creations.

He told Waitrose Weekend Newspaper: "I had the best six weeks, it was scary being the new kid, but Noel, Prue [Leith] and Paul [Hollywood] were so welcoming kinds and happy to play.

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"In the first signature challenge there were 12 bakes and I tried a bit of every one. It wasn\'t true I was sick but after that, I went a few days without trying anything.

"In the last four or five episodes, I started trying things again. I did put on a lot of weight. In the last couple of episodes I can\'t fit on the screen!"

It was announced back in March that Matt would replace Sandi after she decided to step away from the show.

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In a statement at the time, he said: "I\'m chuffed to bits to be joining the most delicious show on television. I can\'t wait to break bread with Noel, Prue and Paul and meet the brilliant bakers.

"And bearing in mind my love of cake, I\'ve already ordered some much larger trousers in anticipation. See you in the tent!"

The \'Little Britain\' star made a successful career playing various characters across film, stage and screen, but he was worried about presenting the show and thought he was "irritating" the bakers.

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He explained: "Really you just have to go in and be ­yourself. I\'m not that used to that. Usually I have loads of lines to learn. Some bakers are really chatty and others... sometimes you talk to them and they are really focused on the bake. You think, \'Oh God! I\'m irritating.\' "