Kyle Books acquires ‘Strictly’ and ‘Bake Off’ star Whaites’ ‘powerful’ memoir 

Kyle Books has acquired Dancing on Eggshells: Kitchen, Ballroom and the Messy Inbetween by John Whaite, the winner of the third series of “The Great British Bake Off” and runner up on “Strictly Come Dancing” with dance partner Johannes Radebe.

Publishing director Judith Hannam acquired world rights from Jonny McWilliams at Crown Talent & Media Group. The “deeply personal” memoir will be published in August 2023.

In the book, Waites shares “a complicated narrative of highs and lows, all told with tenderness, joy, insight, wit, and unflinching honesty", the publisher says. Its synopsis reads: “A shy little boy from rural Lancashire, who was scared to sleep alone and danced a little ‘too gay’ at family weddings, he was also an unruly teen who shaved a checkerboard pattern into his hair and refused to conform.

“From childhood, John’s life has revolved around food, from working in his parents’ fish and chip shop to long periods haunted by bulimia and body dysmorphia. He achieved TV fame but then seemingly wilfully chose to self‐destruct, before finding the strength to pull back when he woke up in a car with half a kebab at his feet and chilli sauce on his shoes.

“Through it all, his essential optimism has meant that he has chosen to take every step back as a chance to reassess and begin again, finally arriving at the realisation that external validation and fulfilment is transient – a distraction from the sometimes painful pilgrimage we make as we gain wisdom from our experiences.”

Whaite is the author of five cookery books, John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood and John Whaite Bakes At Home (published by Headline) and Perfect Plates in 5 Ingredients, Comfort: Food to Soothe the Soul and A Flash in the Pan (published by Kyle Books). He was a resident chef on ITV’s “Lorraine” for four years and is currently resident chef and guest presenter on Channel 4’s “Steph’s Packed Lunch”. He is also a presenter on “Food Unwrapped” and is a regular chef for Waitrose online.

Hannam said of the acquisition: “John has written a gut‐wrenchingly honest book which along with the glittering highs doesn’t shy away from revealing his struggles with mental health, alcoholism, bulimia, insecurity and shame. Told with tenderness, joy, insight and wit, his writing leaps off the page and is as vivid as anything from any novel or drama.”

Whaite commented: “I’m terrified to be releasing my first memoir. Not least because I’m relatively young, so people will be curious as to just how much a whippersnapper like me could possibly have been through. But my life has been full and I present it all, from the dizzying highs to the crashing lows, without an ounce of shame.”