Paul Hollywood Pulled Over for Driving Near 100 MPH, Bullying Other Cars

Dan Clarendon May 9, 2026, 10:55 am

What To Know

Paul Hollywood was pulled over for driving nearly 100 mph and aggressively tailgating other drivers.
He pleaded guilty to speeding, but was trying to get his cat emergency medical care.
Hollywood apologized in court and later updated fans that his cat Bella.

Sounds like Paul Hollywood was in a bit of a great British race off recently. Earlier this year, the Great British Bake Off judge was pulled over for speeding at nearly 100 miles per hour and aggressively tailgating other drivers.

Hollywood’s driving was the subject of a case at Worthing Magistrates’ Court in England last week, according to BBC News. That’s where Surrey Police officer Alexander McAlpine said he clocked Hollywood at 96 miles per hour while the celebrity baker drove his Land Rover Defender on the M26 roadway on the afternoon of January 9.

McAlpine, who was following in an unmarked police car, also said he saw Hollywood “repeatedly bully” other drivers out of the right-hand lane by tailgating.

“Whenever there was a vehicle ahead, the driver would close up to a follow distance of less than five [meters], which was wholly inappropriate for the conditions and speed,” McAlpine said, noting the road was damp and congested with traffic.

McAlpine captured the incident on his dash cam and pulled Hollywood over. Hollywood, for his part, claimed he was trying to get his cat to a veterinarian as quickly as possible.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paul Hollywood (@paul.hollywood)

In court, Hollywood pleaded guilty to speeding and had five penalty points added to his license, which didn’t have any penalty points as of January, according to the BBC. He was also charged a £293 fine, £120 in costs, and a £117 victim surcharge.

'Great British Baking Show': Prue Leith Reacts to Nigella Lawson Replacing Her

Hollywood’s lawyers managed to get a second charge of driving without due care and attention dropped. “Mr. Hollywood accepted he was driving too fast,” said Peter Csemiczky, a partner at Hickman and Rose law firm.

Csemiczky also said Hollywood apologized and “understood he would be punished.”

On Thursday, as the BBC reported on his day in court, Hollywood gave an upbeat update on his cat, a British Shorthair named Bella. “For those asking after reading recent stories, yes, Bella is all good after a severe lung issue,” he wrote on Instagram. “She had us panicking for a while! Her fur is growing back now, too. Thank you.”