The ex-wife of celebrity baker Paul Hollywood says ending their marriage was “a big thing to comprehend” but was the right thing to do.

Alex Hollywood described splitting up as “awful”, but said she ended their marriage out of self-respect.

The 54-year-old had taken Hollywood back following a brief separation in 2013 after he admitted having an affair with Marcela Valladolid, his co-star on the US version of Bake Off.

Their marriage came to an end four years later.

In an interview with the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Alex said: “I had to do the right thing, and to have self-respect as well.”

She also said it was “so hard to stay married these days” as people did not view marriage in the same way as her parents’ generation.

“Everything is so moveable, so transient,” she said.

“I just think it’s sad, because there’s an awful lot more to marriage than just two people hooking up because they like each other. It’s about friendship.”

The couple’s marriage lasted 19 years and they share a teenage son.