Dame Prue Leith, known for her role as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, recently opened up about her time at a South African boarding school, where she witnessed unsettling behavior by nuns.
She shared her experience of speaking out about the abuse and how her emotions surrounding it evolved over time.
The Nuns’ Troubling Behavior
Prue recalls the English nuns at her school, located in Johannesburg, as emotionally manipulative and overly physical with the students.
She described how the nuns would deliberately make the girls cry, only to “comfort” them inappropriately.
This emotional manipulation led to an uncomfortable environment, which was especially distressing for the young students.
Prue, now 84, reflected on how her mother had warned her about the dangers of having nuns as educators, suggesting that they were women who, deprived of affection and intimacy, might behave inappropriately when placed in such an environment.
Despite the nuns being good teachers, Prue said their behavior was “absolutely disgraceful.”
Speaking Out: A Difficult Task
In her final term, Prue was chosen by her peers to speak out against the nuns’ actions during a meeting with the headmistress, Sister Irene Benedict.
While other students sat in the common room, they all agreed that Prue should be the one to voice their concerns, as she was not a prefect and might be more likely to be heard.
She found herself in the difficult position of confronting the headmistress, explaining how the nuns’ behavior was crossing a line.
During the meeting, Prue detailed how the nuns made the younger girls cry and then “comforted” them inappropriately.
However, when she looked at the headmistress during her speech, she noticed that the woman was blushing and unable to speak. This moment of discomfort shifted Prue’s perspective.
A Shift in Perspective
After the meeting, Prue found herself feeling sympathy for the headmistress and the other nuns.
She pondered the idea that the nuns, isolated from love and intimacy, might have lacked healthy outlets for their emotional needs.
The situation made her reflect on how difficult it must have been for these women, who were cut off from normal relationships.
Despite this sympathy, she also found some of the nuns’ other behaviors, like their overly intimate way of interacting with the school’s dog, troubling.
The Aftermath: A Bitter Response
Years later, Prue contributed to a book about boarding schools in South Africa, where she included her story about the nuns.
This led to a response from the head of the school’s alumni society, who accused her of betraying her school and its reputation.
The backlash was swift, with Prue’s membership in the alumni society revoked, and she was told she was no longer welcome.
Prue, in her defense, wrote back, reminding the society that the events she described had happened over 50 years ago, and that the nuns involved had already been removed from the school and sent back to England.
She pointed out that the school had long since changed, and that her attempt to bring these past issues to light was simply an act of honesty.
Moving Forward
Despite the fallout from her story, Prue later noted that the school had a new headmistress, and they now invited her to visit.
Although she never suggested the abuse continued after she left, she remains firm in her belief that the truth needed to be told.
The full interview with Prue Leith can be heard on the Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth podcast, available on major platforms.
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!
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