Mary Berry is one of the best-known celebrity cooks, but she needed a helping hand from a friend when she was first starting out in her career. Mary was told how she "was not being paid enough" for her cooking books by one of her fellow celebrity cook friends, Delia Smith. The friends took all typical rules off the table and spoke candidly about finances, which ended up changing the course of Mary's future.

Earlier this year Mary spoke to Radio Times and explained that her friend had come to stay with her and they addressed all sorts of things, which focused on her finances. She told the publication: "She said, 'You're not being paid enough for your writing. I know an agent, Felicity Bryan, and I'll ring her tonight." Mary explained that she then got a postcard from Felicity asking to meet.

Even years later, Mary and Felicity still work together on her books, and has written over 80 cookery books which have sold more than five million copies worldwide. Her most recent book, Mary 90, emerged as she celebrated her 90th birthday.

After having her career supported by her friend to boost her finances, Mary has gone on to amass quite a fortune, with an estimated net worth of £18m. A chunk of that fortune has also come from her time working on The Great British Bake Off.

In 2024, it was reported by The Mirror that she banked £1.1m through her BBC appearances and cookware range, while her merchandising brought in £639,000.

While Bake Off was an incredible show for Mary, she decided not to move to Channel 4 when it moved from BBC in 2017. A source told The Mirror at the time: "Mary decided not to jump ship to Channel 4 in spite of the large cheque that was dangled in front of her. She is the BBC to her core and the money was secondary.

"People love her and trust whatever she puts her name to. That is pure gold to companies. She has shown she can be a shrewd businesswoman and stay loyal to the BBC."

Despite no longer being on Bake Off, Mary Berry remains a beloved TV star and BBC icon.