A Great British Bake Off contestant has admitted her stomach was in knots when she first entered the famous white tent, and to being more than a little starstruck to meet one of the hosts.

Laura Adlington, from Gravesend, is competing in the Channel 4 show this year and will make her debut on our TV screens on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old began baking at around the age of eight but only realised her flair for it a few years ago.

She specialises in decoration and the perfectionist in her wants things to look faultlessly pretty and dainty.

Laura said she thrives working under pressure and thinks her organised nature is what particularly suited her to taking part in Bake Off.

The digital manger, who in her spare time volunteers for the Samaritans, said: "It was so surreal walking into the tent for the first time. My stomach was in knots and I was so nervous but excited at the same time.

"It was a dream come true to finally be in 'the' tent. I kept pinching myself."

She added: "I was really excited about the whole experience but I think I was especially excited to meet [new host] Matt Lucas. I saw him in Les Mis last year and he was incredible. I was very star struck when I first saw him and made a bit of a fool out of myself. I think my first words to him were 'OMG I love you'."

Laura says she has watched Bake Off for years and her favourite contestants in the past were Rahul and Candice.

This year the production team has had to make some changes with how the show is made. The bakers entered a bubble for seven weeks in order to make the competition happen. The iconic tent remains the same, but there are 30 new challenges set by judges Paul Hollywood, who lives in Kent, and Prue Leith.

The series kicks-off tomorrow with cake week. In the signature, the bakers have to put their twist on the classic battenburg, then make a fruit sponge for the technical and for the showstopper they had to pay tribute to their heroes.

Laura admitted the first week had its highs and lows, adding: "My fondest memory was also my most stressful one. When I ran out of ganache - Sura came to my rescue and helped me with about a minute to spare. She was amazing and I knew there and then I had a friend for life."

Speaking about her talents, Laura said: "I bake from the heart and love making things that pack a punch in terms of flavour."

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