Short answer: Alexandra Hollywood is a cook and the ex-wife of Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood. She is not his girlfriend. The couple were married for roughly two decades and have one son, Josh. They announced their separation in November 2017. Alexandra has kept a much lower public profile than her former husband, so most of what you will read about her online comes from coverage of his life rather than hers.
Many people find her through the search “Paul Hollywood girlfriend”, and that is where the confusion begins. Below we set out what has been publicly reported, flag the places where sources disagree, and leave out claims we could not trace back to a credible original source.
Who is Alexandra Hollywood?
Alexandra Hollywood is mainly known for her marriage to Paul Hollywood, the baker who became a household name through The Great British Bake Off from 2010 onwards. Press coverage describes her as a keen cook with a real interest in food. That fits the family business, but she has never built a TV career of her own.
She is not a public figure the way Paul is. She has given very few interviews, does not appear to keep a high-profile verified social media presence, and has mostly stayed out of the coverage that followed their split. That matters, because it means the many “bio” pages about her online are working from thin material. Some of them fill the gaps with guesswork.
Alexandra Hollywood: quick facts
| Detail | What is reported | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Known for | Ex-wife of Paul Hollywood; cook | Well documented |
| Relationship to Paul Hollywood | Ex-wife (not girlfriend) | Well documented |
| Met Paul | Cyprus, 1990s, while he was working as a hotel baker | Widely reported; year varies |
| Married | 1998 | Most commonly reported year |
| Children | One son, Josh (born early 2000s) | Well documented |
| Separation announced | November 2017 | Well documented |
| Divorce finalised | Reported as around 2019 | Dates conflict between sources |
| Date of birth / exact age | Not reliably confirmed | Unverified, so we have not included it |
Last reviewed: 23 October 2026.
Early life and background
Very little about Alexandra’s early life has been confirmed on the record. She has not given a detailed interview about her upbringing, family or education. Aggregator sites that list a birthplace, birth date or parents’ names rarely cite a source, so we have not repeated those details.
What is consistently reported is how she met Paul. In the 1990s Paul worked abroad as a head baker at luxury hotels, including in Cyprus, and most accounts say that is where the two met. Some outlets describe Alexandra as working there as a diving instructor. That detail appears often enough to be plausible, but we have not found it confirmed by either of them directly.
The year they met varies between sources, which is usually a sign that later articles copied earlier ones without checking. Treat any page that gives an exact meeting date with caution.
Career highlights: cook and food lover
This is where most profiles of Alexandra Hollywood go wrong. Some describe her as a professional chef, others as a food writer with several cookbooks. The most we can say with confidence is narrower than that.
- Cooking: She is widely described as a talented home cook, and food was a shared interest in the marriage. Paul has spoken over the years about family life revolving around the kitchen.
- Cookbooks: Some sites claim she has written cookbooks under her own name. We could not match those claims to a publisher listing we were confident in, so we have not listed titles. If you see a book credited to her, check the publisher’s page and the author biography before you rely on it.
- Paul’s career: Alexandra was married to Paul throughout his rise from hotel baker to TV judge, artisan bread business owner and author. There is no reliable public record of a formal role for her in his businesses, and we would not repeat claims that she had one.
In short, she is a private person whose professional life has not been documented the way Paul’s has. Any profile that gives you a detailed CV for her is probably padding.
Personal and family life
Marriage to Paul Hollywood
Paul and Alexandra are most commonly reported to have married in 1998, after meeting in Cyprus. They later settled in Kent. For most of Paul’s TV career, Alexandra stayed out of the spotlight. She occasionally attended events with him but rarely spoke to the press.
Their son, Josh
The couple have one son, Josh, who was born in the early 2000s and is now an adult. Paul has mentioned him in interviews, particularly in connection with their shared interest in cars and motorsport. Josh is not a public figure, so we are keeping this brief.
The 2013 separation and reconciliation
In 2013 the couple separated briefly. This followed widely published reports linking Paul to Marcela Valladolid, his co-judge on the US series The American Baking Competition. Paul and Alexandra reconciled later that year. Neither of them went into detail publicly, and much of the coverage at the time was tabloid speculation. Our summary sticks to what is undisputed: there was a separation, and there was a reconciliation.
The 2017 split and divorce
In November 2017 Paul confirmed that he and Alexandra had separated after around 20 years of marriage. This was reported by outlets including Woman&Home and the national newspapers. The divorce was reported to have been finalised later, with most accounts placing it around 2019. Sources disagree on the exact date, and some confuse the separation year with the divorce year. That is why you will see 2017, 2018 and 2019 all cited as “the divorce”.
Since the split, Alexandra has not publicly commented in any detail, and she has not built a media presence of her own. That is a deliberate choice, and it explains why there is so little current information about her.
Alexandra Hollywood and the “Paul Hollywood girlfriend” search
Searches for “Paul Hollywood girlfriend” often lead to Alexandra because celebrity relationship explainers fold all of Paul’s partners into one timeline. Here is the short, sourced version:
| Period | Relationship | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1990s–2017 | Alexandra Hollywood | Married c.1998; separated 2017; later divorced |
| c.2018–2020 | Summer Monteys-Fullam | Reported relationship; ended |
| c.2022 onwards | Melissa Spalding | Reported as his partner in recent coverage |
So the plain answer is this: Alexandra is Paul Hollywood’s ex-wife, not his girlfriend. His more recent partner, according to press reports, is Melissa Spalding, a former pub landlady from Kent. If you are reading about engagement or wedding rumours, check the date of the article and whether Paul or a representative has confirmed anything. Many of those stories are recycled.
Other celebrity spouses have the same problem: they become public figures only through their partner’s fame. You can see a similar pattern in our profile Who Is Tara McKillop? Career, Family and Key Facts About Lee Mack’s Wife, and in Who Is Noel Gallagher’s Wife? Relationship and Family Life.
Latest projects: what is Alexandra Hollywood doing now?
As of our last review, there is no verified public project, TV role or business launch credited to Alexandra Hollywood. She appears to have chosen a private life since the divorce. We have not found an official, verified social media account in her name. Accounts using her name and photos should be treated as unofficial unless there is clear confirmation.
That is a less exciting answer than some sites give, but it is the accurate one. If she returns to public life, for example with a book or a media appearance, we will update this page. Until then, be wary of any article claiming detailed knowledge of her current home, income or relationships. None of that has been publicly confirmed.
For more on celebrity chefs and food TV figures, see Where Does Gordon Ramsay Live? Home and Location Details. For another family-life profile written with care for the people involved, read Davina McCall’s Children and Family Life: What We Know.
How we checked this profile
Profiles of private people go wrong when one unsourced detail gets copied across dozens of sites. To avoid that, we have:
- Relied on mainstream press coverage, including Hello!, Woman&Home and national newspaper reporting of the 2013 and 2017 separations
- Left out birth dates, ages, net worth figures and maiden-name claims that we could not trace to an original source
- Flagged every date where reputable outlets disagree, rather than picking one and presenting it as fact
- Kept details about the couple’s son to the minimum needed to answer common questions
If you have an original, citable source that corrects anything here, the right course is to update the record, and we will.
FAQs
Who is Alexandra Hollywood?
Alexandra Hollywood is a cook and the ex-wife of Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood. They were married for around 20 years, reportedly from 1998, announced their separation in November 2017 and later divorced. She keeps a low public profile.
Is Alexandra Hollywood Paul Hollywood’s girlfriend?
No. Alexandra is Paul Hollywood’s ex-wife. Since their 2017 split, Paul has been linked to Summer Monteys-Fullam and, more recently, Melissa Spalding, who is reported to be his current partner.
Where is Alexandra Hollywood from and how did she meet Paul?
Her birthplace and upbringing have not been reliably confirmed. Most reports say she met Paul in Cyprus in the 1990s, while he was working as a head baker at a hotel there. Sources disagree on the exact year.
Are Paul and Alexandra Hollywood still married?
No. They announced their separation in November 2017 after about two decades of marriage, and the divorce was later reported to have been finalised, with most accounts placing it around 2019. They had also separated briefly in 2013 before reconciling.
Do Paul and Alexandra Hollywood have children?
Yes. They have one son, Josh, who was born in the early 2000s and is now an adult. He is not a public figure.
What is Alexandra Hollywood doing now?
As of October 2026, she has no verified public project, TV role or official social media presence. She appears to have chosen a private life since the divorce, so treat detailed claims about her current life with caution.
