Who is Gabe? Meet The Great British Bake Off 2026 contestant and drag king
The Great British Bake Off is ready to welcome 12 new bakers into the tent – and drag king Gabe is ready to put on a show.
But will they be able to impress resident divas, Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson, who will be ready and waiting to judge their abilities in the kitchen?
Speaking ahead of the series launch, Hollywood told Radio Times and other press of the competition: "There's talent, tenacity, and luck, isn't there? In the world, in a way, in terms of success, and you need all three on your side."
Now, we get to see if Gabe has what it takes...
Ahead of their debut in the tent, here's everything you need to know about Great British Bake Off contestant Gabe, including their baking super power.
Age: 32
Location: West Midlands
Job: Drag king
Gabe is a 32-year-old drag king from the West Midlands who produces theatre shows and performs as their drag persona, Blü Romantic.
Raised in Grimsby, "the home of fish and chips and zero gay bars", they now live in Birmingham with partners Ellis and Tyler, and their two sausage dogs, Dill and Sage.
Gabe has been baking since they were aged 13 when they watched the very first series of Bake Off and always believed they would someday be in the tent themselves.
"There is an old saying, 'drag is the art of delusion' and I am nothing if not utterly delusional both in and out of drag. There was not a second that I didn't believe I was gonna make it to the tent, despite not knowing if I had the skills to be able to actually deliver on every challenge," Gabe said.
"I feel I truly just willed Bake Off into existence. In fact, I said to anyone who will listen: "I'm going to be on Bake Off" and it happened!
"Never give up on your delusional dreams. So when I got the call I did feel like the universe had aligned and was delivering, but of course I also had a giant freakout too."
What is Gabe's secret baking "super power"?
Gabe's baking super power is by baking the cake in their head before they've even entered the kitchen.
They explained: "My creative flair finds its way into all aspects of my life. I can start a bake with an image in my head of how it should look, and somehow manage to get that image to come to life… Mostly!"
Read more on The Great British Bake Off 2026 cast:
The Great British Bake Off returns on Tuesday 22 September at 8pm on Channel 4.
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
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