Television viewers said Bake Off: The Professionals was worse than a horror film when an intricate sugar showpiece that took hours to make fell and smashed to pieces.

The fragile design – featuring a heart, bird and colourful swirls of ribbon – was resting at the edge of contestants Hideko and Theo’s work station when it toppled over and shattered.

It has taken more than three hours to make.

Many fans said they could barely watch as the centrepiece went down and some confessed that they even screamed.

One viewer said on Twitter: “#GBBO the sugar centerpiece segment was the most tense piece of television since Breaking Bad.”

“OMG. Working with sugar is so tense……..its worse than a horror film,” said another.

One person tweeted: “Literally just screamed nooooooooooooooooo!!!! My heart is smashed just like that sugar sculpture.”

“Oh my god… watching @BritishBakeOff behind the cushion…that sugar work… all that work,” posted another.

“#GBBO is too much for my heart! I thought watching professionals would be a easier watch,” said another.

Former Great British Bake Off contestant Liam Charles, who co-hosts the Channel 4 programme with Tom Allen, looked horrified as the sugar tower broke into dozens of pieces.

“Oh my days bruv. Why did that happen to them?” he muttered, burying his head in his arms.

Hideko and Theo are from Sweet Art Lab, a London dessert brand.

As the show aired Hideko tweeted: “Oh Noooooo ! My heart broken bake off pro. #GBBO.”

“My romantic heart Crushed on the floor !!!!!” she added.

However, despite the shattered heart, the bakers’ dreams remained intact, as they escaped elimination and made it through to the next round of the competition.