US Edition 
Diana quits Great British Bake Off after 'losing sense of taste and smell'
The controversial contestant claimed the scandal dubbed 'Bin-gate' had nothing to do with her exit from the BBC show
Diana Beard, the Great British Bake Off contestant accused of sabotaging a fellow contestant’s chances, is revealed to have quit the show after a freak fall robbed her of her sense of taste and smell.
The 69-year-old claimed her exit was nothing to do with the drama already dubbed 'Bin-gate' after some viewers blamed her for the departure of fellow contestant Iain Watters during episode four of the BBC show.
She said she decided to leave days after the controversial episode was filmed earlier this year. But the news was kept from viewers until today, released just as Mrs Beard was claiming she had been “stitched up” by the programme-makers.
Speaking this afternoon, she revealed she had left after she fainted and banged her head during a dinner with fellow contestants, severing her olfactory nerve.
The pensioner had been blamed for ruining the chances of a fellow baker, Iain Watters, by removing his ice cream from the freezer and leaving it to melt on what was the hottest day of the year.
Believing his Baked Alaska dessert could not be salvaged, a distraught Mr Watters threw it in the bin and walked out. The judges, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, said they had no choice but to eject him from the competition.
Fans of the show reacted with disbelief after watching the scenes unfold on Tuesday night, and Twitter users launched a light-hearted “Justice for Ian” campaign. Others took it more seriously: the BBC received complaints from 556 viewers angry that Mr Watters had been dismissed while Mrs Beard remained to fight another day.
However, it emerged today that audiences will not see Mrs Beard again. She withdrew from the series shortly after those scenes were filmed, in what appears to be an unhappy coincidence.
In a statement, the BBC said: “Diana will not appear in the rest of the series as she fell ill ahead of filming episode five this year.”
But she has since clarified that she "fainted" and banged her head during supper with the other contestants just before production of the episode was due to start.
In a freak accident, the pensioner, who lives near Whitchurch in Shropshire, said: "I fainted - which I have never done - and bashed my head, severing my olfactory nerve.
"So I have now lost my sense of smell and most of my taste."
She added that she has some sensation of foods which are very salty or vinegary, but has been told by a specialist that nothing can be done to repair the damage.
"It could have been worse, and I am counting my blessings," said Mrs Beard, who used to run an upholstery business.
She said the announcement that she would not be returning for episode five had been brought forward by the BBC, following the furore of the most recent broadcasts in which some members of the public branded her "evil".
"At least people will know I haven't wimped out," she added.
"It's a relief, as people now know the truth."
Mrs Beard made no mention of her decision when she gave a tearful yesterday insisting that she had been “stitched up” by programme editors who edited scenes to paint her as the villain of the piece.
She claimed “the knives were out” for her.
“We were 12 amateur bakers, no prize money involved. Why would I want to sabotage Iain’s Baked Alaska?” she told her local radio station.
“Iain does not hold me responsible for his failed ice cream.”
The WI member said: “I’ve been stitched up, haven’t I?”
The BBC defended Diana, saying she was not responsible for the baking disaster. “Due to the extreme temperature in the tent that day, many of the bakers struggled to get their ice cream to set as seen in the episode. Diana removing Iain's ice cream from the freezer for less than a minute was in no way responsible for Iain’s departure.”
Presenters, judges and fellow contestants leapt to Mrs Beard’s defence.
Martha Collison, the show’s youngest contestant, said: “Things are not always what they seem on TV, Diana is an absolute legend, and the lack of freezer space was none of the bakers [sic] fault.”
Co-host Sue Perkins tweeted: “Iain’s Alaska was out of the freezer for 40 seconds. That’s it. No sabotage. 40 secs of normal temperature would NOT be enough to reduce it to liquid.” [sic]
She called for calm, saying: “All getting a little inflamed for my liking. This is a show about CAKES. Please, let’s save the ire for the real stuff.”
Mary Berry said it was “absolute rubbish” to blame Mrs Beard. And the last word went to the magnanimous Mr Watters, who said: “I have seen all the controversy and I don’t hold Diana responsible in any way. There are no grudges, we are still friends and keep in contact regularly.”