The ex-wife of Paul Hollywood has denied verbally abusing the Great British Bake Off judge’s new partner during an incident at a supermarket.

Alex Hollywood, 54, and Summer Monteys-Fullam, 23, met one another by chance at a Marks & Spencer store in Canterbury, Kent, and became embroiled in a dispute, according to reports in The Sun.

A representative of Alex denied she had verbally abused Monteys-Fullam during the incident, to which police were called. However, they did confirm the pair met on Tuesday.

They said a “shocked” Alex had maintained a “dignified position” since she and Hollywood announced their split in November 2017.

The statement read: “Alex was shocked to bump into Summer in her local supermarket but even in that difficult situation, she still did not and would not ever verbally abuse anyone.

“Alex has kept a dignified position throughout the last 14 months which have been extremely challenging, and continues to do so.”

In a subsequent statement posted to Twitter, Alex said she would “continue to stand tall, continue to be me, keep my integrity…”

Alex took Hollywood, 52, back following a brief separation in 2013 after he admitted having an affair with Marcela Valladolid, his co-star on the US version of Bake Off.

Their marriage came to an end four years later. It lasted 19 years and they share a teenage son.