Today marks the Queen of Baking’s big day – she’s turning 80!

But how much do you really know about TV’s favourite cake goddess (sorry Nigella)? Here are 14 weird, wonderful and not-so-wonderful things you probably didn’t know about Mary Berry.

1. She learned to “toughen up” at a young age.

Mary contracted polio aged just 13, and had to spend three months in hospital away from her friends and family. Although she pulled through, Mary was left with a permanently twisted spine, a thinner left arm and a weaker left hand. But Mary has credited the illness for giving her a thicker skin and forcing her to make the most of every opportunity.

2. Her early career was a far cry from her glitzy TV career today.

Mary’s first job was at a Bath electricity board showroom, visiting new customers’ homes and showing them how to use their electric ovens. She’d do this by whipping up a Victoria sponge. Countless people in the Bath area have had Mary Berry pop round their house and whip up a cake just because they bought the right oven at the right time.

Wiltshire Times:

  • Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry collect the award for Best Factual Entertainment for The Great British Bake off during the 2015 National Television Awards (Yui Mok/PA)

3. She’s always been an independent woman.

Mary hasn’t ever been afraid to strike out on her own – she moved to London alone in her early 20s and shared a flat with four other young women, and persuaded her boss to send her to the prestigious Cordon Bleu cookery school in Paris. Here, she lived in a grubby youth hostel and lived on baguettes to save money, all so she could get the very best culinary education. What a trooper.

4. She’s more than just a domestic goddess.

Mary didn’t marry until 31 – unusually late for her generation. After having her children, Mary went back to work after just five weeks. She made some pretty controversial remarks about maternity leave to the Sunday Times in 2013, which ruffled a few feathers.

5. She’s worked as a recipe tester and a food journalist.

For a while, Mary was a recipe tester (everyone’s dream job) for PR firm Benson’s, and in 1966 went on to become the food editor of Housewife magazine. From 1970 to 1973, she was food editor of Ideal Home magazine.

6. She’s suffered serious personal tragedy.

Mary’s son William died in a car accident when he was only 19 years old. His sister, Annabel, was also in the car, but escaped the accident unhurt.

7. She’s not just a baker.

Although we all associate Berry’s name with seriously delicious-looking cakes, she’s a bit of an all-round family cook. Mary’s published over 70 cookbooks containing a huge variety of recipes, including One-Pot Cooking and Cooking with Cheese.

8. She has her own range of salad dressings and chutneys.

Mary Berry, with her husband Paul Hunnings Mary Berry, with her husband Paul Hunnings (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Mary has four varieties of salad dressing (light, regular, mustard and French herb) available at Waitrose, as well as three types of chutney (peach and apricot, ploughmans and spiced tomato). If these flavours take your fancy, check ‘em out here.

9. Being on camera didn’t come naturally to her.

Although you wouldn’t know from her expert deliveries on GBBO, Mary found TV appearances a little daunting at first. M-Bez got her TV break in 1973 on an episode of The Good Afternoon Show with Judith Chalmers, which Berry has later revealed made her very nervous indeed.

10. She’s a bit of a fashion icon.

Bake Off fans will recall Bezza’s collection of jackets over the seasons. Her snazzy swan print bomber sold out in Marks & Spencer pretty quick, and another Zara number sported by Ms Berry also sold out.

11. She was lucky to have children.

In her youth, Mary was diagnosed with a bicornuate uterus – a condition which means having two wombs and can lead to difficulty conceiving. With the expert help of George Pinker, a Harley Street obstetrician (the very same man who delivered Prince William and Harry, so this guy knows his stuff), she went on to have three children; William, Annabel and and Thomas.

Wiltshire Times:

  • Mary Berry, with her husband Paul Hunnings (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

12. She likes to party.

Mary visited Ibiza for a friend’s wedding, aged 71. She even paid a visit to the island’s infamous dance club, Pacha, where she said “There was every type of clothing you could imagine: mini skirts; some of them with hardly anything on!”

13. She’s got some seriously dedicated fans.

There’s an entire Tumblr dedicated to her biting into things, complete with witty captions.

Here's one to get your teeth into: “Strawberry and Raspberry Cheesecake Brioche: Three berries for the price of one here, as Mary treats us to the rare ‘tri-berry bite’. Popular amongst conspiracy theorists and cyclists alike, the tri-berry has only ever been witnessed once before, during the Berry family reunion of 1976, when three Berrys bit into a Battenberg at basically the same time. A powerful and mystic trinity not to be (eaton) messed with.”

14. Last but not least – she was the subject of a 999 call last week.

Last week, someone called Avon and Somerset Police to report that they’d been kidnapped by Mary Berry. Berry is yet to comment on the call.

Source: Press Association