Great Pottery Throw Down’s trans kiln girl explains exit after three years: ‘Wasn’t worth it’
Rose Schmits has clarified her exit from The Great Pottery Throw Down (Love Productions 2021)
Rose Schmits, The Great Pottery Throw Down‘s trans kiln tech, has revealed her reason for leaving the show after three years.
Essentially a clay version of The Great British Bake Off, Channel 4’s pottery contest features hopefuls looking to impress a panel of judges and hosts (including Derry Girls‘ Siobhán McSweeney), and has been airing since 2015. Schmits, a transgender Dutch kiln “witch”, has featured since 2021. But ahead of the eighth season, she has said she won’t be returning.
“A massive thank you to [Rose] who is leaving the show after four series as our kiln tech,” a post read from the official X/Twitter account said. “Rose has fired everything from jugs to loos and done her utmost to protect the potters from the kiln gods. We wish you and your bow ties the best for the future.”
Reacting to the send-off, Schmits wrote on X: “This was fully my decision, by the way. They did want me back but it just wasn’t worth it for me any more.”
She did not clarify what “wasn’t worth it”.
Schmits went on to say: “So, get [wrecked] all you transphobes. You had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Outside the show, her work, according to her website, is “a way to delve into my identity as a trans woman from Delft, the Netherlands.
“Using the Delftware pottery technique to create pieces that reflect my experiences as a trans person having altered my body and identity, allows me to gain ownership of the struggles of transitioning as well as [to] remember where I came from,” she said.
The Great Pottery Throw Down is available to stream on Channel 4.
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