Mary Berry has revealed she was once arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking in the US – after packing flour in her suitcase.
The 83-year-old opened up about her shocking brush with the law during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” — admitting the experience was “alarming.”
She said: “I was arrested 25 years ago. I was going to the US to do some cookery demonstrations and was worried that there might be problems so I weighed out all the ingredients — flour, sugar — and put them all in little plastic bags.
“When I arrived at the airport the sniffer dogs made a bee-line for me. Suddenly I was surrounded by uniformed people and my assistant and I were put in separate cells.”
Mary, who was promoting her new BBC One series “Britain’s Best Home Cook,” continued: “It was alarming. When I was asked if was going to make money from the stuff, I said, ‘I do and my fee has already been agreed.’”
The TV star is best known for her work on “Great British Bake Off” but was a well-known chef during the ’70s and ’80s.
She quit “Bake Off” in September 2016 after it was revealed the show would be moving to Channel 4.
Mary appeared on the show alongside her new co-star Claudia Winkleman, who said she didn’t hesitate to join the project when she found out Mary was part of it.
“I didn’t ask anything about it once I knew Mary was on board. I just wanted to be with her!” she gushed.
Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, actor Maxine Peake, “Episodes” star and “Top Gear” presenter Matt LeBlanc also chat to Graham, and there is music from Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa.