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| Tom Whittaker Now: What The Great British Baking Show Contestant Is Doing After Season 17. |
Tom Whittaker has carried his creativity far beyond the Great British Baking Show tent, with the Season 17 contestant continuing to balance his career as a hairdresser with a serious passion for baking, travel and family life. Since appearing in the Netflix series, Tom has plenty going on away from the cameras, and his Instagram offers a glimpse into the colourful world he has been building for himself.
Tom entered The Great British Baking Show Season 17, also known as Collection 14 on Netflix, as one of 12 bakers hoping to prove they could handle the pressure of the famous tent. From the outset, he approached the challenges with confidence rather than looking as though he had just wandered into the wrong kitchen.
His early bakes quickly demonstrated why he had earned his place. Tom showed strong technical ability while bringing plenty of creativity to his recipes, and his attention to flavour helped him rise to the top during one of the opening challenges. His Showstopper was arguably even more revealing, with a self-portrait cake giving the judges a chance to see something more personal behind the polished baking.
Tom's relationship with baking goes back much further than his television appearance. He grew up in West Yorkshire, where his two nanas, June and Lynne, played an important role in developing his interest in the kitchen. He began spending time with them when he was around six, and those childhood visits eventually turned into something rather more serious.
By the age of 10, Tom had already become particularly skilled at making brandy snaps. From there, his baking repertoire expanded into brownies, cupcakes and salted-caramel treats. What started as a childhood pastime gradually became one of the defining creative outlets in his life. And, frankly, mastering brandy snaps at 10 is the sort of childhood achievement that makes the rest of us look suspiciously unproductive.
Away from baking, Tom works as a hairdresser at Allertons Salons Limited in Leeds, England. The career suits someone whose personality appears to revolve around creativity and attention to detail. His work gives him another outlet for that creative instinct, while baking remains a significant part of his life outside the salon.
Tom has also been building a social media following, with more than 3.3K Instagram followers at the time of the information provided. His account gives people a look at some of his homemade creations, including an Apple Crumble Cake with Custard Buttercream Frosting. Because apparently ordinary apple crumble was not dramatic enough.
His baking has also been used to support awareness of different social initiatives, adding another dimension to what began as a simple childhood interest. For Tom, baking is clearly not limited to competing against a clock while judges stare at his pastry. It has become one of the ways he expresses his creativity and connects with other people.
Family remains another major part of Tom's life. The self-described "Northern diva" has maintained a close relationship with his parents, Shayne and Lisa Whittaker, and his older brother, Adam. The family regularly spends time together, including a trip to the Algarve in Portugal in July 2025, where they enjoyed the scenery and local food.
Tom has been particularly open about his appreciation for his father, Shayne. When wishing him a happy birthday, he shared his gratitude for having him as a dad. His bond with his two nanas is just as significant, especially given how strongly they influenced his early relationship with baking.
Then there is Alex Wilkinson, Tom's boyfriend and soulmate. The pair have built a relationship around travelling, exploring new places and sharing everyday experiences. Their adventures range from Halloween trips to pumpkin patches and outdoor days out to much bigger journeys abroad.
Before Tom appeared on the baking show, it was also revealed that he and Alex were saving to buy a house together, suggesting that their plans extend well beyond holidays and Instagram photographs. For two people who have accumulated quite a travel history, finding somewhere to put all those memories — and presumably a very well-stocked kitchen — seems like the logical next move.
Their travel record is extensive. In March 2022, Tom and Alex visited Kraków, Poland, before travelling to Sicily two months later. August brought a trip to Puerto de la Cruz in Spain, followed by Amsterdam in November.
Their adventures continued into 2023, when they visited Prague in June. By December, they were in Thailand, where they enjoyed the beaches and waterfalls. The following month, their Southeast Asian journey continued in Laos before moving on to Cambodia, where they took in the sunsets.
In February 2024, Tom and Alex travelled through Vietnam, experiencing its historic sites and culture. Malaysia followed two months later, while July brought them to the Philippines. In August 2024, they travelled to Bali, Indonesia, adding another destination to an already rather impressive travel diary.
When he is not working, baking or travelling, Tom also enjoys spending time with friends, visiting museums and trying out new restaurants. It is a fairly busy lifestyle for someone whose television introduction might have suggested that baking would be the main event.
My take is that Tom's story after The Great British Baking Show is arguably more interesting because the programme was only one part of a much bigger picture. His career as a hairdresser gives him a creative profession outside the kitchen, while baking connects directly to memories of his nanas and childhood. Then there is his relationship with Alex, which has developed alongside a genuinely ambitious appetite for travel.
Kraków, Sicily, Spain, Amsterdam, Prague and a long run through Southeast Asia is hardly the travel schedule of someone who prefers staying home with a packet of biscuits. What stands out most is how naturally these different interests fit together. Tom does not appear to have abandoned baking after the show or treated television as the final destination. Instead, it sits comfortably alongside his work, family, relationships and other interests. That makes his post-show story feel considerably more grounded than the usual reality-TV update.
For now, Tom Whittaker remains closely connected to baking while continuing his work as a hairdresser and life with Alex, with family, travel and creative projects keeping him busy away from the tent. His story also shows that appearing on The Great British Baking Show does not necessarily have to become the whole identity of a contestant.
Tom already had plenty happening before the cameras arrived, and there is clearly plenty more happening afterwards. Which part of Tom's story interests you most — his baking journey, his life with Alex, his career in Leeds or his impressive travel trail? Let us know what you think.