Bristol’s very own Briony May Williams has been a regular face on our TVs ever since she appeared on the Great British Bake Off. Her incredible baking skills impressed Paul Hollywood on the Channel 4 baking show and overcame barriers to reach the semi-finals.
Briony was born with a left hand that stops at the wrist, which she calls her ‘little hand’, and had requested that it not be mentioned on Great British Bake Off as she didn’t want to be labelled ‘disabled’. She even turned down the offer of using special equipment, saying she wanted to be treated the same as everyone else.
Despite being eliminated in the semi-finals of the popular Channel 4 bake-off series, Briony’s career has flourished as she landed presenting roles on BBC’s Morning Live and Food Unwrapped, as well as venturing into property shows with BBC’s Escape to the Country.
But what do we know about her life outside of the TV cameras and her family life in Bristol.
Inside the home life of Briony May Williams
Briony continues to live in Bristol and is happily settled with her husband Steve, their nine year old daughter Nora, and Archie, the family’s beloved cockapoo.
Briony doesn’t shy away from sharing snippets of her family moments and mouth-watering recipes with her 154,000 Instagram followers.
In an emotional birthday tribute to her daughter Nora, Briony posted: “How is our beautiful girl 9?!? Sat here sobbing my heart out putting this together because this little angel has grown into the kindest, sweetest, funniest, weirdest and most incredible little lady.”
“Happy birthday my darling Nora, you’re my absolute favourite human and I’m so proud to be your mum, always. Love you a billion one hundred and so much more.”
The devoted mum also frequently expresses her admiration for her own mother and described Colleen as the “bestest Momma that ever was or ever will be”, saying: “Our family is the most beautiful, supportive, loving, kind group of humans and at the centre of it all is you Colleen Mckean.
“You are our heart and we adore you, more than you know. Thank you for everything that you are and all that you do, they say it takes a village and I love ours so much! Love you a billion one hundred.”
This year has been filled with exciting experiences for Briony and her family, including watching Girls Aloud, a holiday at Lake Garda in Italy, attending London Pride, and a staycation in Brean, Somerset.
In addition to her family life, Briony is committed to charity work and served as an ambassador for disability charities Reach and Paul’s Place, as well as mental health charity Bristol Mind. Recently, she participated in the Superhero Series disability sports event as Team Captain, completing a triathlon.
Briony’s passion for baking began after she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and needed a new focus while unable to work. At the time, she was a stay-at-home mum and decided to apply for the Great British Bake Off.