Great British Bake Off finalist Sophie Faldo is being investigated over benefits fraud for claiming a single person’s allowance despite living with her boyfriend
GREAT British Bake Off star Sophie Faldo is being investigated for alleged benefits fraud.
The 33-year-old former Army officer — who is in the TV final — is said to have been claiming a single person’s allowance despite living with her chef boyfriend David Slattery in Surrey.
It is believed an investigator spotted Sophie Faldo’s biography on the Bake Off website stating her living situation.
Claimants can get more if they are single rather than living as a couple, especially if their other half works.
Sophie lived with David in a house they shared with others before setting up home together in a two-bedroom flat.
A similar property in the same exclusive development rents for £1,250 a month.
A source told The Sun: “She is being investigated for benefit fraud. She has been saying her partner doesn’t live with her – but he does. They have been caught out.” Former Army officer Sophie describes her occupation as “training to be a stuntwoman”.
She will be seen in the final tomorrow night along with Steven Carter-Bailey and Kate Lyon. Sophie was star baker in last week’s show, presented by Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding.
On the first episode she spoke about a cake she had made a housemate. At the time of filming she was in her shared house in West Molesey, Surrey.
Another source claimed: “She was unemployed and said she was applying for some sort of rent support.
It was a house-share with three other girls and she moved her fella in with her when she wasn’t authorised to. It was one of the reasons that she moved.”
Sophie confirmed in a magazine interview: “I have recently moved and the new kitchen is small but modern.” Talking about practising her cakes, she added: “Luckily I didn’t have a full-time job.
“I was just doing a bit of personal training during the show.”
The official Great British Bake Off site states: “Sophie grew up in Suffolk and now lives in Surrey with her boyfriend David and cat Loki.” It was David who put in an application for the show. His public Twitter account — which was made private after The Sun contacted her — said he is a chef at The Glasshouse in Kew.
One snap showed the pair on a sofa, wearing near identical clothes. He captioned it: “This is what happens when me and @sophiefaldo wake up at different times.”
Yesterday Sophie refused to comment as she left home for a bike ride. She said: “I am not going to talk about this at all. You need to speak to my agent.”
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Benefits claimants can fall foul of Department for Work and Pensions rules if they fail to report a change of circumstances.
Last night a Bake Off spokesman said: “Sophie has recently declared a change in her circumstances to the DWP.
A meeting to reassess her situation, scheduled for last Friday, was postponed by her local job centre until next week. Any suggestion of benefit fraud relating to Sophie is categorically untrue.”
XMAS Battle
PREVIOUS Bake Off champions are poised to battle it out against one another in two Christmas specials, it was revealed yesterday.
Channel 4 hopes to get the likes of Nadiya Hussain, 32, and Frances Quinn, 35, to take part — even though they won when the show was still on the BBC.
The returnees will be set three baking challenges to find the crème de la crème.
Last night C4 was keeping mum about those who have signed up.
- LAST year’s Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown, 32, has got engaged to tree surgeon Liam Macaulay, 32, in Bedford.