Great British Sewing Bee contestant forced to miss crucial segment following surprise exit

A contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee was forced to miss a challenge, with host Sara Pascoe explaining her absence halfway through the show.

The beloved competition returned to BBC One with a new series tonight, as judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant set out to guide a new batch of sewers.

However, after taking part in the first challenge and completing her design for the second, contestant Glendora was forced to miss the judging and the final task, due to being taken unwell.

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Sara, returning to host the competition after her maternity leave, explained: "Unfortunately though, Glendora feels unwell so won't be attending the judging."

Despite not being present for the judging segment of the transformation challenge, Glendora’s circle skirt was complete and came in ninth place.

However, for the final challenge, Made to Measure, where the sewers were tasked with designing a perfectly shaped dress with pleats, Glendora was absent.

Sara told the others: "Unfortunately, Glendora is still unwell and won't be joining us today, but we wish her better and hopefully she'll be back with us soon."

Bus driver Glendora, 59, had earlier revealed she began sewing at just eight years old.

Since June 2021, she'd managed to create 36 quilts, and described herself as "ambitious".

"My sewing style is classic, I'm not whacky and strange... that's probably me personally but my clothes tend to be quite classic lines," she said.

"If I wouldn't wear it, it's not worth me making it," she added.

Due to Glendora's absence from the final challenge, judge Patrick admitted it felt like the "fair thing" to not send anybody home, leaving several of the sewers tearful as they realised they'd made it through to the next week, when two sewers would be sent home.

He said: "We've had a phenomenal first week, we've had a fantastic group of sewers, and with Glendora not taking part in the challenge today, it just felt like the fair thing to do to send nobody home."

Fans were delighted that The Sewing Bee returned to screens tonight, taking to X to share their excitement.

"Oh I do love this, so pleased it's back," one wrote.

Another said: "Ten weeks of entertainment ahead my favourite #SewingBee is back."

"When there’s a new season of the #sewingbee so i get to fangirl over sara’s outfits every week," a third wrote.

Comedian Sara returned to her position as host - having taken over from past presenters Claudia Winkleman and Joe Lycett - after a year off, during which Kiell Smith-Bynoe stood in as her temporary replacement.

Teasing the new series, she told Radio Times that this year she felt as though she really "bedded into" small talk, and that the new contestants are "really good chatters".

"They’ve all got banter," she added. "They’re really good at Dad jokes and puns. And they’re happy to muck around.

"None of them are too stressed about the sewing… or if they were stressed, they hid it well."

The Great British Sewing Bee airs Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.