By Katie Hind Comments Paul Hollywood's estranged wife Alexandra

For years Paul Hollywood’s wife Alexandra was working hard behind the scenes as her husband took a starring role in The Great British Bake Off .

But since the couple split in May she has discovered a way to move on with her life – food.

Alex, 49, has used her passion to help those less fortunate than her to eat good, healthy, tasty meals by ­posting her recipes on Twitter.

The aim is to help families get through the financial crisis.

Alex has ­revealed that she was once so short of ­money that she would search for cash down the back of her sofa.

She told the Sunday People: “In the past I was always in the background.

“I was always very active in that background but I never wanted to be in the spotlight.

“But I feel after what has happened I have been thrust into the spotlight. At first it was a huge shock but the main thing for me was Twitter. It was a revelation.

“They love my food. I keep on expecting that I’m going to get some horrible comments but people are so nice. They say the recipes are really easy and simple.”

Alex has also revealed how she is disgusted that the use of foodbanks has tripled in a year.

She said: “It’s really shocking and horrifying that people are having to go to foodbanks. It shouldn’t be happening in this day and age.

“If you’re in that situation, how the hell do you cook? How the hell do you feed your family?

“It’s horrifying.”

Alex hopes her easy, cheap but very tasty dishes put out on Twitter will be a practical help. And she has been really heartened by the positive ­comments from her followers on the popular social network.

“This is a new stage of my life, you’ve always got to look forward. I don’t know where I’m ­going, I just go with the flow.

“Without sounding cheesy, I’m ­really enjoying that people are ­enjoying my journey.

“It’s a bit of a revelation. I never thought that this would happen to me.”

Alex lives in the ­chocolate-box perfect sleepy Kent village of Wingham with 12-year-old son Joshua but she has not always been so fortunate.

She remembers a time when she struggled and that’s why she has formed so many strong views on ­austerity Britain and, most of all the introduction of foodbanks.

She said: “I won’t go into it but I know from past ­experience where you can suddenly find yourself.

“At times I have scrabbled down the back of sofas for money, going through pockets and old handbags.

“We’ve all been there. We’ve all been in that situation where you think you cannot afford to go shopping this week. It’s so easy to get there and it can happen to anybody.

“It’s not just something that ­happens to people a long way away who we don’t see.

“People take for granted that it’s not going to happen to them, when it does it’s a huge shock and they are taken completely unawares.

“We have based so much on ­consumerism that everything has ­happened so quickly and the ­economic bubble has burst.

“Everyone felt secure before. It’s like the rug has been pulled out from underneath us so

everybody, ­whatever they do, has been feeling shaky and wobbly.”

Alex reckons Britain is in its current financial situation ­because of “a mixture of ­consumerism and greed, not by people in general but by corporations”.

She said there is a ­widening gap between the haves and have-nots and she feels people should look out for each other during these tough times.

Alex, who helps charities in nearby Canterbury and cooks for elderly people in her village, hopes others will appreciate that we all have a responsibility to make sure everyone is fed, kept warm and has a decent ­standard of ­living.

She said: “We need to be more open because in the 80s and 90s ­people became quite insular.

“We didn’t know who our neighbours were and now if we can get more of a sense of community, if everyone has that sense, there’s no reason for someone to go hungry.

“Everyone should be helping everyone else. I think it’s really important to know what’s ­going on around you. If you can give someone a helping hand then that’s a good thing. “It’s austerity Britain. We should be helping one ­another out.”

But Alex is ­optimistic that community spirit is being rekindled and things are ­being turned around. She said: “It would be really nice to see this, going back to the old values.

“You need to look after your own and care for people who will, in turn, do the same for you.

“Everybody has a responsibility, you can’t just go through life and think ‘I’m all right.’ There are people who need us all the time.

“You’ve got to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and think I’m doing some good. Not everyone has large ­families. You have to work out how you can find a support network around you. It’s not weakness to ask for help, it’s a strength. You have to be strong to admit you need help. So if you live somewhere with a sense of community, then ask for help.”

Alex is doing her bit by sharing her food knowledge, not least with her and Paul’s boy Josh.

She has grown closer to him since becoming a single mum and teaches him about food. She hopes others will follow her lead.

She said: “You have to feed your children properly. Of course that is a big priority for me.

“Food is a huge part of my life. Try to make it fun for your kids, we cook together and talk about food.”

Chatting to Alex, it is clear that there is an upside to being a single.

She said that Josh has been wonderful and their relationship as mother and son has changed since the marital split.

Alex said: “You are thrown together so much more and you get closer, I love him to bits. He’s wonderful.

“What’s really nice is that people in general are really lovely. They wish me well, they want the best for me, they are so kind and supportive and it has been wonderful. In this way I am thinking that I am loving this time, that this is great.

“A part of the break-up has really boosted me,” she added.

“So there are interesting things in the pipeline but I would love to have a book for sale in the shops, a recipe book. I’m trying to work it out. I’ve got hundreds of recipes because I cook off-piste.”

Alex continued: “I could probably sit down and produce one quickly so if anyone wants quick and simple recipes then they should come to me.”