A hug. A kiss. Hollywood's recipe to win back his wife after his affair appears to be coming along nicely

It’s a tender kiss that reveals all is on course to be forgiven.
Leaning in to embrace his wife Alexandra, celebrity baker Paul Hollywood takes the opportunity to steal a moment on her lips.
The couple were seen embracing following a meal at a pub with their 12-year-old son Joshua.

Getting close: Paul Hollywood leans in to give his

wife Alexandra a kiss as they leave a pub in Kent after a meal

Progress? It is the couple's first public display of affection since his affair with his American co-star this year

And the family date appears to be one of many that they have been seen enjoying in recent weeks as Great British Bake Off star Hollywood, 47, makes a concentrated effort to gain a reconciliation following his fling earlier this year with Marcela Valladolid, 35.
Hollywood’s affair with his co-star on the American version of the hit BBC 2 show which turned him into a household name led to him moving out of his Kent marital home in May and Alexandra announcing that she wanted a divorce as there was ‘no going back’.
But following his recent admission that he still loves Alexandra and does indeed want her back – if these pictures are anything to go by – Hollywood is a step closer to repairing his 15-year marriage.
Regulars at the village pub where the family dinner took place, and which is close to the Kent house that Hollywood is renting, said the pair had been spotted dining and drinking there and described them as looking ‘comfortable’ and ‘happy’ in each other’s company.

Crisis: Their marriage took a blow when Hollywood started seeing fellow celebrity chef Marcela Valladolid

Regrets? He has now revealed he wants to patch up his relationship with Alexandra despite the affair

A family friend said: ‘I understand that they’re getting on much better than they were and that’s really great news.
‘I don’t think he’s moved back in yet and that would indicate to me that they’ re still taking it slowly. I guess these things take time to heal.’
During their meal on Wednesday, his family were spotted smiling and at ease as he put his arms around both of them as they left. All three broke into laughter outside after their son cheekily made a joke at his father’s expense.

And on Saturday the pair shared a joke about their pet Labrador on social networking site Twitter in just one of the friendly messages they have recently exchanged.
The couple’s relationship now is a world away from the immediate aftermath of Hollywood’s infidelity.

Separated: Hollywood is renting a home in Kent while he tries to woo Alexandra, who he met in Cyprus

Just over a month ago, during a radio interview with Richard Bacon, Hollywood confessed for the first time that he did have an affair with Miss Valladolid but that he still loved Alexandra: ‘I did have an affair in America with my co-judge and it was something which was the biggest mistake of my life because actually I still love my wife’, he said.
‘I’m at that point where we’re talking and we’re working to get back together again. But it’s going to take time.’
Hollywood was subjected to a tide of negative reaction from millions of cookery fans when it was revealed he had become close to Miss Valladolid.
Even before he flew to Los Angeles in March to film The American Baking Competition, the Mexican single-mother had described him as a ‘handsome devil’.
In August Hollywood was spotted with Miss Valladolid in Majorca, but there were soon reports that they were not in touch. Their US show was also axed after it had some of the lowest ratings network CBS has had for a new midweek show.
Mrs Hollywood admitted that she had taken the break-up of her marriage hard – losing two stone in six weeks and dropping three dress sizes to a size six.

Distraught: Alexandra, 49, spoke out about her anger and said 'there is no going back' after Paul's affair

Despite being determined to ‘move on’ with her life, it was clear that she still deeply loved her husband.
She said: ‘In the space of four weeks my life changed irrevocably. One minute I was happily married and the next I wasn’t. It was a complete shock.
‘I love my husband and I was and still am very proud of what he has achieved.
‘I don’t know if he still loves me. I’d like to think there’s always going to be some affection there. You can’t share 15 years of marriage and not have anything left, but right now I just don’t know.’
The Hollywoods met 17 years ago while both working in a hotel in Cyprus. He was the establishment’s baker while she taught guests how to scuba dive.