Special ingredient...a Bafta for Delia
DELIA Smith was honoured by Bafta last night in a prestigious tribute to her 40-year broadcasting career.
The TV cook was presented with a Special Award for her “outstanding contribution to television cookery”.
Delia, 71, said: “It was a bit of a shock at first because I thought only people who were in movies had Baftas, which shows you how ignorant I am, but then when I understood it, obviously it’s a huge honour and a great privilege.”
The award, presented at Bafta’s headquarters in Piccadilly, London, comes only weeks after Delia announced she is cutting down on her TV commitments.
Andrew Newman, of Bafta’s Television Committee, said: “Delia was the first TV cook to be recognised by her first name alone. It is unlikely that Jamie, Nigella Gordon, The Hairy Bikers and much-loved competitions such as The Great British Bake Off would have happened without her contribution.”