Why did Mary Berry appear? New book 'Ellie Floats on the Waves'

I would like to write one more piece of trivia about the new book in a postscript.

At the beginning of this story, the protagonist, Ellie, attempts to write a letter to Mary Berry, a judge from the British Bake Off series.

Now 90 years old, Mary Berry has deep ties to the British Royal Family. In 2019, she hosted the special BBC program 'A Berry Royal Christmas' alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales). In 2022, she co-hosted 'Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking' with Queen Camilla, and in 2023, she hosted and judged 'The Coronation Dish' to commemorate the coronation of King Charles. She is a very famous person, at least in the UK and the United States.

I recently read several articles about Mary and had a realization. They contained information not even listed on her own website.

That is, the fact that her left hand remains bent and immobile is not due to arthritis, but is a lasting effect from having contracted polio at the age of 13.

This is just my speculation, but I thought perhaps the author included her as a character because she has a disability.

In the UK, whether someone has a disability or not is never explained unless it is the central focus of a television program. In the British Bake Off, people with various disabilities appear, but there is no specific explanation given for them. Regarding Mary Berry's polio, perhaps it is something many people already know, or perhaps it is something many people simply do not dwell on, so there is no special explanation. It is portrayed as just one part of her individual personality. This is quite different from Japan.

You can also watch Mary Berry in Japan through various programs.
These include the dubbed version of the British Bake Off on NHK, or on platforms like Amazon Prime. Currently, Amazon Prime is streaming up to season 9, but Mary Berry appears up to season 7.

Please do read 'Ellie Floats on the Waves'.