Is Paul Hollywood Married? Meet the Host's Ex-Wife Alexandra

Paul Hollywood caught the attention of fans on The Great British Bake Off with his bright blue eyes and his undeniable smolder. Though viewers tune in to watch contestants compete with their baking skills, an added bonus is getting to watch the hunk star as a judge on beloved U.K. series, and many can’t help but wonder, is he married?

Currently, Paul is not a married man. The celebrity chef, however, was previously in a union with his ex-wife, Alexandra Hollywood. The former couple, who was married for nearly 20 years, ended their romance in 2017.

The How to Bake author first met his ex-spouse in 1996. According to reports, Paul crossed paths with the U.K. native when they both worked at the same hotel in Cyprus, the island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The TV presenter was the head baker at the five-star resort, while Alexandra worked as a scuba diving instructor.

Upon meeting, Paul and Alexandra became a couple, and after two years of dating, they married on the island in 1998. The American Baking Competition host and his lover later started their family when their only son, Josh, arrived in October 2001.

Over the years, Paul juggled his extremely busy gig as a celebrity chef and TV star with his role of being a family man. By 2013, though, he announced the two were separating after he admitted to having an affair with fellow Food Network star Marcela Valladolid. However, they reconciled just months later, and Paul called the situation the “biggest mistake of [his] life,” per The Sun.

Despite putting on a united front, Paul revealed he and Alexander were over for good less than four years later. “It is with sadness that we have decided to separate,” the exes said in a joint statement in 2017, Bustle reported. “Our focus continues to be the happiness of our son, and we would ask the press and public to allow us privacy as a family during this very difficult time.”

Since then, the Junior Bake Off host has had no shortage of love in his life. Not long after his divorce was finalized in 2019, he went public with his then-girlfriend, Summer Monteys-Fullam, a much younger barmaid who worked at his U.K. pub The Chequer’s Inn. They eventually split in 2020, according to reports, and Paul has since been in a relationship with girlfriend Melissa Spalding, the landlady at his pub.

To learn more about Paul’s ex-wife, Alexandra, keep scrolling below.

Alexandra is Talented

Like her former beau, Alexandra is a passionate cook. She’s also a food writer, having penned My Busy Kitchen — A Lifetime of Family Recipes in 2015, as well as Cooking Tonight.

According to her Instagram, Alexandra is also a judge for the U.K.’s Great Taste Awards and an ambassador for Love British Food.

Alexandra is Embracing Life Post-Divorce

By the looks of her social media, Alexandra is keeping herself quite busy since her romance with Paul ended. In addition to her work as an author and cook, she loves traveling, being in nature and spending time with friends and family.

During an interview with the Sunday Telegraph in April 2020, Alexandra opened up about the painful split. “I’m not going to lie and say it hasn’t been difficult, but I’m not broken,” she shared. “Divorce hurts. I was married for 20 years. But you keep going.”

Alexandra is a Doting Mom

In 2001, Alexandra experienced motherhood when she gave birth to the former pair’s son, Josh, per PopSugar. Though both Alexandra and Paul are very private when it comes to their kid, the loving mama shared a rare photo while spending time with Josh in April 2020.

“There are some upsides to this lockdown — I look forward to my daily dog walk with Josh and [our dog] Rufus,” she captioned a selfie of the mother-son duo.

Alexandra Was Once Diagnosed With Cancer

Looking back on her days as a former scuba instructor, Alexandra said she wishes she wore more sunscreen. The blonde beauty revealed she had been diagnosed with skin cancer in June 2019.

“So here’s the thing … I wanted you to see this because I know that we’re all scared of the ‘C’ word,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m lucky, this is no big deal but it’s a bit of a wake-up call and payback for those years I spent poolside and mucking around in boats as a scuba instructor, in and out of the water with little or no sunscreen!”

Alexandra added, “We all need to be more self-aware, so with that in mind — I really hope you’ll all have a good look at yourselves tonight in the bathroom mirror — and if you’re not sure about something … go see your GP!”