Paul Hollywood caught driving over 100mph in motorway dash ‘to get sick cat to vet’

Bake Off star Paul Hollywood was pulled over by police after reaching speeds of around 100mph on the M25 and telling officers he was taking his sick cat to the vet, a court heard.

The 60-year-old TV chef is accused of tailgating cars at high speeds during his emergency drive, allegedly to “bully” them out of the fast lane.

A Surrey Police officer stated that Hollywood’s Land Rover Defender was officially recorded at 96mph but was believed to have reached speeds in excess of 105mph on the M26.

After he was stopped, Hollywood reportedly blamed his dangerous driving on his sick pet’s need to receive urgent treatment.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court last week, the Great British Bake Off star pleaded guilty to speeding and was sentenced to five penalty points on his licence, a £293 fine, £120 costs and a £117 victim surcharge.

After intervention from lawyers at Hickman and Rose, the second charge of careless driving was dropped by police.

“Mr. Hollywood admits he was driving too fast,” wrote Peter Csemiczky, a partner at the leading law firm.

“He was running home to take his sick cat to the vet.

He realizes this is no excuse and apologizes for his actions.

“He understands and accepts that he will be punished.”

Court documents show the incident occurred at around 3.20pm on January 9, when Hollywood’s car was seen speeding along the M25 motorway.

Pc Alexander McAlpine, of Surrey Police, followed Hollywood in an unmarked police car and said he saw the TV star’s vehicle “repeatedly ‘bullying’ other vehicles using an unsecured tailgate”.

“When there was a vehicle in front, the driver was approaching a following distance of less than five metres, which was not appropriate for the conditions and speed.

“Once a vehicle was pulled off the road by tailgating, the driver would accelerate heavily and travel over the limit until they reached the next vehicle on the road, at which point they would repeat the process to try to ‘push’ traffic ahead of them out of the lane, even though they were legally overtaking slower-moving traffic in the third lane.”

Mr McAlpine said Hollywood was able to reach speeds of around 100mph on the M25 despite heavy traffic and damp roads, and was “able to achieve higher speeds more consistently” after joining the less busy M26.

“They continued their behavior of approaching any vehicle in front of them in their travel lane and then aggressively pursued it from a short distance, on one occasion only about six feet while traveling at approximately 80 mph, until they moved out of the way.”

The officer said he matched Hollywood’s speed, measuring himself at a “peak” of about 105 mph, and that his “general road speed remained above 90 mph for an extended period of time.”

The officer recorded the incident on his dashcam and then pulled the chief over and challenged him for speeding and “aggressively pursuing other road users.”

The officer added in his statement: “The driver stated that the reason for his urgency and driving behavior was to transport a sick cat.”

Hollywood, who has been a jury member of Bake Off since its inception in 2010, is also a car enthusiast who has participated in professional races for Aston Martin.

She admitted on television in 2022 that she was warned by fellow Bake Off judge Mary Berry for driving too fast.

He described speeding as his “most unpleasant habit” and said: “I’m probably driving a bit too fast. That scares a few people.”

“One time I gave Mary a ride and she was hitting me with her purse.”

Court documents show Hollywood had no demerit points on his license when he was pulled over by a police officer in January.

He pleaded guilty in writing to the charge of speeding and was convicted and sentenced at a private hearing in the Single Justice Procedure without having to go to court.

Hollywood pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving without due care and attention, and the plea was withdrawn by the police force.

Hollywood was sentenced on April 27, the same week that 374 drivers across the country were convicted by courts for exceeding the 70mph speed limit, leading to penalty points and fines of up to £1,000.