Jeremy Paxman has said he is just hoping to get through Celebrity Bake Off “without being held up to public ridicule”.
The broadcaster is one of several celebrities taking part in the special Stand Up To Cancer episodes of the Channel 4 show.
When asked whether he would rather impress judge Prue Leith or Paul Hollywood with his baking skills, Paxman confessed: “I will just be relieved to go without being held up to public ridicule.
“That’s all I want.”
Paxman is up against actress Sally Lindsay, comedian Joe Wilkinson and reality star Georgia Toffolo in the tent.
He said he has little baking experience and that the biscuits he worked on ahead of the show “came out as one big sort of sludge”.
“My only contribution in this field is to be able to eat, so taste matters more than anything else,” Paxman said.
The University Challenge quizmaster said he is not pinning his hopes on winning star baker.
“I am competitive of course, but for someone to win, others have to lose and I don’t like that,” he said.
“We’re all doing it for the same reason – we just want to raise a bit of money for cancer relief.”
The TV star went on: “I’ve had friends who’ve had cancer and some have survived and some have not. I just think that it’s incredibly common and it matters that we try to do something about it.
“It may be that we won’t succeed, but we can try.”
Other stars who have signed up for the celebrity specials include Michelle Keegan, Russell Brand, Caroline Flack and Johnny Vegas.
Paxman takes part in the fourth episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, which airs on March 26.