JESS Phillips is a Labour MP who strives to empower women and girls, but she’s trading in her policy skills for a baker’s hat.

We explain who the MP is joining the Great Celebrity Bake Off 2019. Here’s the latest.

Who is Jess Phillips?

Jess Phillips has been the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015.

The mum-of-two worked for domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid before getting into politics.

Her efforts to campaign and support those affected by domestic abuse led her to become a Labour councillor and eventually an MP.

The 37-year-old has two sons and is married to Tom Phillips.

In 2017 she published her first book titled Everywoman: One Woman’s Truth About Speaking The Truth.

The MP is known for being outspoken especially when it comes to sex education classes in school.

In November 2018, she said it was vital for girls to be taught about orgasms and sexual pleasure as part of their sex education lessons.

Speaking to The Hotbed, the MP for Birmingham Yardley said: "We should be telling girls about orgasms during sex education.

"I'm not suggesting we go into schools and teach children how to masturbate, I'm suggesting we talk to them about the things they're doing anyway.

"Women's expectations should be greater. We have to start demanding more."

Why has the MP joined Celebrity Bake Off 2019?

Phillips said she joined the charity edition of the Channel 4 show because both of her parents have had cancer and she has seen how much funding can make a difference.

She said: “My dad was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia when I was 11 years old,” she said.

“Twenty six years later he is still alive thanks to research that was done into medicines and treatments for people with his cancer.

“He just wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for people donating money to cancer research.”

“Also I have seen the downside, where things don’t get research,” she continued.

“My mum died when I was in my twenties from leiomyosarcoma, which is quite a rare cancer, and there wasn’t the same level of research.

“So I have seen literally in my own life the difference it can make when money is invested.

“I know how important it is to ordinary people’s lives, because I still have my dad and I don’t have my mum.”

When is The Great Celebrity Bake Off on TV?

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer will air TONIGHT (March 19, 2019) at 8pm on Channel 4.

The celeb special will be spread across five episodes.

It's filmed in the usual tent, with the bakers going through fifteen different challenges – that's three a week – and a winner being chosen.

Last year’s series aired in March and saw Bill Turnbull reveal his own cancer diagnosis.

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