Inside Mary Berry's childhood – from snuggling pigs to her 'funny left hand'

dailystar.co.uk:

Mary Berry is known for her role on the Great British Bake Off, however, she left the show in 2016 to embark on new career opportunities.

Since her time of judging soggy bottoms in the Bake Off tent, Mary has gone on to host a range of TV shows giving not only an insight into her baking skills but also into her life.The now 87-year-old will star in her latest show, Mary Berry – Cook and Share, tonight on BBC Two to celebrate what drives her lifelong passion of cooking – the joy of sharing her food, her knowledge and her love of company.But where did her love for baking start and what was her childhood like?Here's everything you need to know.Mary was born on May 12, 1953 in Somerset to her parents, Margaret and Alleyne Berry.She has previously stated that her family home, which she shared with her parents and three siblings, contributed to her love of cooking as they had a huge and well-equipped kitchen.Mary's great-great-grandfather on her father's side was also a master baker in the 1860s who provided bread for a local workhouse in Norwich, which explains Mary's love for baking.She grew up on a small holding with her family and had a close bond with the animals they kept, including their pigs.As a child, Mary would cuddle up in bed with the odd pig – but clarified she would only cuddle "the runt" of the litter."I was known to swaddle one and take it to bed with me," she revealed to the Radio Times."Only the runt, the little one that we had to feed from a bottle."Mary went on to marry her long-term partner Paul Hunnings in 1966 and they share three children together.

When Mary was just 13 years old, she contracted polio and had to spend three months in hospital. The illness resulted in her having a twisted spine, a.