Kimberley and Ruby at the fantastic Be Remarkable event!
We were lucky enough to catch up with Great British Bake Off finalists 2013 – Ruby Tandoh and Kimberley Wilson – at the fantastic ‘Be Remarkable‘ event sponsored by Nokia. They were happy to chat with us about baking, new experiences, and believing in yourself.
Lovely to meet both of you, how are you finding today’s first ‘Be Remarkable’event?
Kimberley: It’s been great so far, It’s really nice to see an event that’s brought so many girls together for some really cool activities.
Ruby: I found we had some really insightful questions after we’d spoken this morning, which was really interesting, it was really nice to see how thoughtful and bright the audience was.
Are you still in contact with your fellow GBBO contestants?
Kimberley: Oh yeah, we still see each other a fair bit – we’ve socialised and stuff together, people will often find us out together! And of course we all do bake chat on twitter, where we answer people’s baking questions!
What’s the most valuable lesson you felt you took away from last years experiences?
Ruby: Well it’s all happened so fast, and in terms of the Great British Bake off, it doesn’t feel like it’s been over for that long. But it’s certainly made me more confident, and in terms of skills and pressure – I’ve learnt a lot.
You were both on the receiving end of some unkind criticism, how do you challenge that and maintain your self-confidence?
Kimberley: I resisted to responding to anything unpleasant written on twitter because I feel you have to choose your battles. Sometimes people will hold a view – whether its right or wrong – very dearly, and anything that I perhaps choose to say will be twisted to prove that you’re right so…. best not to attack I think, because it won’t necessarily work in your favour, or make you feel any better.
Ruby: It can be hard not to react to unfair things that people say to you, but I think gradually you become better at handling it and also understanding it. One of the best questions we were asked earlier was from a girl who asked ‘why do people say unkind things?’ That’s really important to think about why sometimes people behave unfairly, and I’d say it was for lots of reasons, but a lot of the time it can be because they are insecure and defensive. Some people think it makes them feel better to be unpleasant to other people and make them feel bad, but that’s really not the case. We should be supporting each other and encouraging each other as much as possible.
What words of wisdom do you have for any of our readers after your experiences recently?
Kimberley: Thinking about today’s discussions, I think its important to remember that you’re not alone – the things that you experience, good and bad – other people have definitely gone through them too, and that applies for all areas of your life. It’s so important to share with other people about how you’re feeling, and to talk about it. How you feel is always important, and the people around you are the ones who love you and can help you make sense of so much!
