Mel's mum Rosemary Giedroyc passed away aged 86
Former Great British Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc's beloved mum has died.
Rosemary Giedroyc passed away 'peacefully' at the age of 86 in Oxford on Sunday, according to The Times.
Her death comes six years after the passing of her husband, Mel's father, Polish aristocrat Michal Giedroyc.
While Mel hasn't publicly spoken about her mother's passing, MailOnline reported that the TV star is "devastated" by her mum's death.
The presenter and comedian, 55, grew up in Leatherhead, Surrey, along with her three siblings, Coky, who is now a film and TV director, Kasia, a children's writer, and Miko, a musician. The family moved to Oxford when Mel was 11.
Her father was an aircraft designer, civil engineer and family historian, who was sent to a labour camp in Siberia by the invading Soviet army in 1939.
Opening up about how her parents first met, Mel told The Guardian in 2016: "My father met my mother, Rosemary, through her mother, a children’s book illustrator called Astrid who had formed a strong friendship with a Polish artist who knew my other grandmother from the old days in Poland.
"Astrid hoped my father might get together with one of her elder daughters but, as soon as he saw Rosemary at one of Astrid’s parties, he was smitten. Nothing happened for three years until she was 19."
Mel also recalled a "special" time with her mum when she took care of her after she suffered a series of strokes over 30 years ago. "Mum was in her early 50s when she had four strokes in quick succession that almost took her off. I'd just come down from Cambridge with a rubbish degree," said Mel. "I spent a year reading to her – her eyesight was badly affected – and making sure she got proper rest. It was a special time but very intense, too."
Mel is perhaps best known for her comedy and presenting work with Sue Perkins, who she first met at Cambridge University's Footlights comedy club.
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Together, they presented for seven seasons from 2010 to 2016, when the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4. Judge Mary Berry also left the show at the same time.
Speaking about their departure, the comedy duo said they opposed the move to Channel 4.
"The BBC nurtured the show from its infancy and helped give it its distinctive warmth and charm, growing it from an audience of 2 million to nearly 15 [million] at its peak," they said in a statement. "We've had the most amazing time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps. We’re not going with the dough. We wish all the future bakers every success."
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