Sandi Toksvig has claimed her 'Great British Bake Off' departure was "necessary" to give her time to work on other projects.
Sandi Toksvig
The 62-year-old television star - who was replaced with Matt Lucas for the current season - left the popular Channel 4 series after three years, but she has been busier than ever in 2020.
Appearing on ITV's 'Lorraine', she said: "Wonderful show, 'Bake Off' - and I had a wonderful time. Prue and I saw each other just recently and we still consider ourselves to be family.
"But I spent three years working out how meringue works and for me, it was necessary to go and do something else. I genuinely have gone off to do other work.
"I've made four television series this year, I've written a book, I've written an opera, film, so it's not as though I've been sitting around thinking, 'Ooh, I wish there was more sponge in my life.' "
Although Sandi has kept busy during the coronavirus pandemic, she pointed out that people shouldn't feel pressured to be productive when other aspects of life are just as important.
She added: "We mustn't feel bad if we don't overachieve during the time that we have off.
"I think it's also OK to sit with yourself, to have a think about what you care about in life, to contact people - there's so many wonderful ways of contacting people now through the internet - that maybe you haven't spoken to for ages.
"That's OK as well. I really want to make clear, I am not saying that everyone ought to overachieve like mad."
Sandi revealed her own mother has been getting to grips with technology recently, and she encouraged people to enjoy quality time with their loved ones.
She said: "I think it's really wonderful to take the time - my mum's 89 and my mum has learnt to use FaceTime.
"We FaceTime, and that's just glorious, that I can be in her house and sit and chat with her, and that's also a phenomenal and wonderful use of your time."
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