Latest news with #NadiyaHussain
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘I'm working hard at not being a negative person'
Anita Rani is finding out the best ways to find the positives and elevate everyday life on her new podcast, Bright Ideas with Anita Rani, in partnership with EE, with this week's guest Nadiya Hussain admitting she wrestles with being a glass-half-empty person. 'I have teenagers now and need to show them there's light and goodness in everything, so I'm working hard at not being that person.' The hugely popular TV presenter, baker and author opens up about her anxiety and PTSD, and highlights how she strives to challenge herself. 'I love driving, yet suddenly I was too anxious to drive,' she says. 'I made myself believe I couldn't do it, but when my husband needed a lift I did it – I was so proud of myself.' Faith and her family play a huge part in her life, and her latest book Rooza focuses on cuisine inspired by Ramadan. The 2015 The Great British Bake Off winner also explains how the whole family uses a calendar app to coordinate five busy lives, and why baking is an excellent antidote to her anxiety. She also reveals a more unexpected way to unwind: 'My husband and I practise archery, and there's a perfect moment of stillness when you pull back the arrow.' For all of Nadiya's tips, life hacks, insights and stories, catch the latest episode of Bright Ideas with Anita Rani on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain hits out at BBC after they axed her show as she claims 'they will keep you until you're of no use to them'
Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has taken aim at the BBC after they axed her series of cookery shows - insisting 'they'll keep you until you're of no use'. The winner of the 2015 edition of the baking competition revealed last month that the broadcaster had decided not to renew her programme. Nadiya, 40, later claimed she had been 'treated unfairly' by the BBC in a social media post as she lashed out over the cancellation. The TV personality said: 'I am allowed to feel angry when I'm treated unfairly.' Nadiya has now spoken to Paul C Brunson on the We Need to Talk podcast, as she discussed what it means to be a Muslim woman in British media. When asked if 'speaking her truth' was behind their decision not to renew her commitments with the BBC, she said: 'I kind of accepted in my head that I was very BBC, I suppose it means that they've got me exactly where they want me, I'm utterly unbiased, .. 'And just they've got me where they want me. Neutral. And I am not neutral. I have opinions and I have things to say.' Giving her own view of what happened, she said: 'They'll keep you till you're of no use to them. And I think that's what happened.' After winning the Great British Bake Off, Nadiya fronted several shows including Nadiya's Asian Odyssey, Nadiya's Cook Once Eat Twice and Nadiya's Time to Eat. Nadiya claimed she was never given an exact reason as to why they couldn't commission her show. She continued: 'It was interesting because my husband and I always spoke about it and he just said, there's going to be a point where they're not going to need you anymore. And the second you don't fit the box, like they have a neat little box, when you don't fit that box anymore, there'll be no space for you. 'And I suppose I don't fit that space anymore. And to be fair, I'm not comfortable in boxes anyway. I prefer a glass ceilings to smash through, thank you very much.' She said: 'I was always made to feel like my trophy was just going to get taken away from me. Because as somebody, because I felt like I had to always be grateful. I had to be consistently grateful for the opportunity that I was given. 'A Muslim that was relatable, like the People's Muslim, the people's person of colour, the digestible version of myself. On what's next for Nadiya, the TV chef said: 'You know what, I think I'm going to be the truest, most honest version of myself, entirely unfiltered, with no management, nobody to tell me what I can do, can't do, can say, can't say.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment. 'Nadiya remains a much valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects.' Last month in a video uploaded to Instagram, Nadiya said: 'I've received tonnes of messages since talking about my situation with the BBC. Messages from people telling me to be grateful for the opportunity and be thankful for how far I've come. 'Now my whole life as a child in an immigrant household, I used to think I had to be grateful all the time because I watched my family always grateful, grateful for being let in, grateful for having work, even if underpaid, grateful for safety, even if it meant silence, always grateful. 'Grateful even when I feel tired, lonely or disrespected. At first, gratitude felt right because it was instilled in me from a young age, it's all I saw. 'But after a while it starts to get really heavy. Gratitude became something that I was expected to wear like a uniform, anytime I voiced frustration or sadness or wanted more, I could feel the invisible pressure, like how dare you complain? Aren't you just lucky to be here?' She added: 'But, here's what I've come to understand. I'm allowed to feel more than just thankful. I am a human being and I am allowed to feel angry when I'm treated unfairly, I'm allowed to want better for myself and for my family. 'I'm allowed to speak up, I'm allowed to exist, I'm allowed to exist fully complex, emotional, hopeful, sometimes critical, just like anyone else. So, gratitude has its place, but it shouldn't be a muzzle. It shouldn't be a muzzle like a dog. 'We didn't come here just to survive. We came here to live, to grow, to contribute, to belong. Not as a guest, but as a person who has rights and dreams and dignity just like everyone else. 'So no, I won't always be grateful and that doesn't make me ungrateful, it makes me human. 'So I've got here through hard work, through determination, through talent. So no, I won't be grateful. I got here because I'm good at what I do. Just something to think about.' It comes after Nadiya opened up about the 'changes in her career' in an Instagram post. The chef told her 950k followers: 'One huge change is that there will be no cookery show. 'There will be no more cookery show. The BBC have decided that they didn't want to commission the show. 'And for me, that was a huge turning point for me because it's something I've done for the past 10 years. 'It was huge, I was already on this steady trajectory of change and I was thinking about where I wanted my career to go. 'And when the BBC decided they didn't want to commission the show anymore, it really did kind of solidify everything for me, and it made me dig my heels in and think 'OK, I know where I want to be".' Speaking about her experience in the industry, she added: 'And actually, it's really difficult as a Muslim woman. I work in an industry tat doesn't always support people like me or recognise my talent or my full potential. 'And as a lot gaslighting and making you feel like what's actually happening isn't happening. 'So for me it's been a huge, huge, huge change for me. But it's one that I am really excited about. 'One that I want to move in a positive direction and ultimately I want to work with people who believe in voices of people like me.' Nadiya has had a very successful career since winning GBBO 10 years ago. Shortly after the show, she landed The Chronicles of Nadiya on BBC One. The same year she was a judge on Junior Bake Off. The following year she presented an eight-part series called Nadiya's British Food Adventure. As well as her cooking series on the BBC, she's appeared on The One Show as a reporter various times, as well as ITV's Loose Women. Nadiya also has written a number of cooking books over the years. Some include Nadiya's Kitchen, Nadiya's Every Day Baking and Cook Once, Eat Twice. She's also written novels such as The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters, Spreading my Wings and Today I'm Strong.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nadiya Hussain describes brutal BBC exit for the first time
Nadiya Hussain has spoken out on her BBC exit for the first time, claiming she felt that her TV career had been a "tickbox exercise". She claimed of her experiences with the BBC: "The second you don't fit the neat little box, there'll be no space for you. I don't fit that space any more." The baker and TV cook found fame after winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015 and went on to present a number of cooking shows at the BBC, as well as publishing recipe books. But in June, she released a statement on social media saying that she hadn't been recommissioned, adding: "As a Muslim woman, I work in an industry that doesn't always support people like me or recognise my talent or full potential." Now, Hussain has given her side of the story to Paul C. Brunson for his We Need To Talk podcast, where she also claimed to have made complaints about her treatment on unnamed shows which she says were ignored. Elsewhere, she opened up on how uncomfortable she felt walking into the Bake Off tent for the first time, her experiences with the publishing industry, and being bullied and abused during childhood. Hussain gave an account of her exit from the BBC after 10 years of making cooking shows with them, as well as a series of Remarkable Places to Eat co-hosted with Fred Sirieix. She said that she had learned to keep her TV personality "unbiased and neutral", but said: "I am not neutral. I have opinions. I have things to say." The Bake Off winner claimed: "They'll (BBC) keep you until you're of no use to them. I think that's what happened. I had lots of reasons but no definitive 'this is the reason we're not recommissioning your show'. My show got great ratings every year. I can't see why there's a reason my show wasn't recommissioned." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nadiya (@nadiyajhussain) She continued: "My husband and I always spoke about it and he just said, 'there's going to be a point where they're not going to need you anymore. They have a neat little box and the second you don't fit the box… there'll be no space for you.' "I suppose I don't fit that space any more, and I'm not comfortable in boxes anyway. I prefer glass ceilings to smash through. I suppose there's no space for me and I'm kind of alright with that." In June, Hussain posted a video on social media where she explained that she had not been recommissioned by the BBC and that she hadn't always felt the industry was a supportive place for a Muslim woman. A BBC statement at the time read: "After several wonderful series, we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment." However, she claimed to Brunson that the "back and forth" with the BBC over how to announce her exit had suggested something quite different. She said one email had read: "This is a proposed statement, I think Nadiya should say 'I no longer want to do my show on the BBC because I'm focussing on different projects'. I said, 'That's not the truth, though. I do not OK that statement and I'm not going to put that out.'" Read more: Nadiya Hussain 'won't always be grateful' after BBC axing (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read) BBC cancels Nadiya Hussain's cooking show (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read) Nadiya Hussain says BBC dropped her after 10 years for no 'definitive' reason (The Independent, 3 min read) Hussain has now chosen to work without an agent or team, saying: "I wanted to start from scratch as if I had won Bake Off ten years ago when I had nobody but myself, my husband and my instinct. It's been the most freeing thing to know every decision I make is my own and no one gets to filter me.I will figure it out and find a space where I'm welcome. It might not be in this industry and I'm OK with that." She also made allegations about her treatment on various shows, claiming that she had made complaints that had not been acted on. She told how feedback on one series had requested that she stop wearing jumpers because they made her appear larger, and explained why she had not pushed back. "I was always made to feel like my trophy was just going to get taken away from me, because I felt like I always had to be grateful for the opportunity that I was given. A Muslim who was relatable. The people's Muslim. The people's person of colour. The digestible version of myself. Gratitude should not sit on your face like a muzzle, and that's what it felt like, I felt muzzled." She added: "When you complain, you're considered a nuisance. They protect the men in our industry, and they make excuses for men." Hussain continued: "In every job that I've done, I've felt I look back and think they just needed to look diverse. They had the Muslim - tick. They had the person of colour - was all a tickbox exercise until they didn't need me any more." Hussain also detailed two experiences that had hugely affected her, although she did not name a particular show, broadcaster or TV star. She said: "I filed a complaint with a very big breakfast show. They were mocking a recipe out of my book. I can almost guarantee if a Jamie Oliver or James Martin was on there, they would not sit at the end of the show and mock a recipe out of their book." The recipe had been for "chaat in a bag", which the show had suggested sounded like "s*** in a bag". Hussain called the comments "really distasteful and really hateful... deeply disrespectful" but said that the show had refused to apologise. Hussain also added that she had been "quite badly bullied" by a man that she had worked with, to the point that she had such a bad panic attack that she wet the bed. She said that she had filed a complaint with the show they worked on, but that nothing happened. "I've walked on sets and heard I'm not working if she's working. I'm not working with her," she added. Yahoo UK contacted the BBC for comment on all of the claims made, although the BBC was not directly mentioned in connection with Hussain filing complaints, and the "very big breakfast show" was not named. A BBC spokesperson told Yahoo UK: "After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment. Nadiya remains a much valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects." The star also spoke about feeling like her voice didn't matter when her idea for a book about parenting children with two cultures was turned down by a publisher, and said that when she published her book Rooza with recipes for Ramadhan, various brand partnerships dried up. Hussain spoke about feeling uncomfortable as the only Muslim woman on her series of Bake Off, recalling: "I walked into the tent and was like, 'oh great'. I know that feeling, I know what it's like to be me and to walk into a room of people who all feel familiar to each other, but I felt like the alien...I stuck out like a sore thumb, and I felt different." She added: "My whole life I've constantly shrunk myself to make everyone else feel comfortable. So even when I was in that tent, I would speak, but I would try so hard not to sound like I was from Luton. I was like, sound as not bilingual as possible. Pronounce your Ts. Speak slowly. Say every word properly. I'm thinking that while trying to bake, while being judged." "I want to say that I stepped away feeling like my self-worth was at its best and I felt amazing," she continued. "But what happened to me so quickly after winning Bake Off was that I fell into a career I never expected to have and didn't want. Winning Bake Off did not prepare me for the cesspit that it is to be in the public eye. Hussain told how at one point production staff had to live in her family home with her as she had received death threats, and she had to have panic buttons installed. But she said that her TV work had been important, saying: "I didn't know how important it was to be the voice for the voiceless." She added of her children: "I tell them, 'elbows are going to work 10 times harder for 10 times less than everyone else.' I know because I have worked 10 times harder than others in my industry for 10 times less." Paul C. Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast is available to stream now.
Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Nadiya Hussain says she was given ‘no definitive reason' for BBC show cancellation
Former Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain claimed the BBC will 'keep you until you're of no use to them' after her shows were axed Great British Bake Off icon Nadiya Hussain claims she wasn't given a "definitive reason" for the axing of her BBC programmes. The star, 40, fronted several food series for the BBC since winning GBBO in 2015 - when the show was on BBC1 - including Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya's Fast Flavours and Nadiya's Simple Spices. However, in June, Nadiya revealed in a post shared on social media that BBC bosses had "decided they didn't want to commission the show any more", which she described as a "huge turning point'. This week, Nadiya claimed the BBC will "keep you until you're of no use to them" during a chat with Paul C Brunson in the We Need To Talk podcast. She was asked whether she was fired for speaking out and she responded: "I worked with the BBC for a really long time, and there's points where I've kind of looked at working with other channels and other broadcasters, the feedback they gave us was you're too BBC. 'I kind of accepted in my head that I was very BBC, I suppose it means that they've got me exactly where they want me, I'm utterly unbiased, and just… you're neutral, and I am not neutral, I have opinions and I have things to say. 'They'll keep you 'til you're of no use to them, and I think that's what happened. Essentially, I got lots of reasons why they couldn't commission the show, I had kind of rough reasons as to why they said that they couldn't commission the show, but no definitive, 'this is why we are not commissioning your show'. 'Considering my show got great ratings every year, like really good ratings, I can't see there's a reason why my show wasn't recommissioned.' Nadiya claimed the BBC told her to say she was focusing on "different projects" when he show was not recommissioned despite it being further from the truth. Instead, she posted a social media statement. At the time, she suggested that the TV industry 'doesn't always support Muslim women like me'. The chef said: "The BBC have decided that they didn't want to commission a show. And for me, that was a huge turning point because it's something I've done for the past 10 years. "I was already on this steady trajectory of change and I was thinking about where I wanted my career to go, and when the BBC decided they didn't want to commission the show anymore, it really did kind of solidify everything for me, and it made me dig my heels in and think 'OK, I know where I want to be'.' She added: 'As a Muslim woman, I work in an industry that doesn't always support people like me or recognise my talent or full potential. There's a lot of gaslighting, making me feel like what's actually happening isn't happening." A BBC spokesperson said: 'After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment. Nadiya remains a much valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects."
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Nadiya Hussain claims she had ‘no definitive reason' for BBC show's cancellation
Former Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has claimed she was given 'no definitive reason' for the cancellation of her BBC shows. The 40-year-old, who won the sixth series of the baking competition in 2015, claimed the corporation will 'keep you till you're of no use to them' in an interview with the We Need To Talk podcast, after the BBC announced it would not be continuing with her cooking shows last month. Asked whether she felt she had been sacked for speaking out, Hussain said: 'I worked with the BBC for a really long time, and there's points where I've kind of looked at working with other channels and other broadcasters, the feedback they gave us was you're too BBC. 'I kind of accepted in my head that I was very BBC, I suppose it means that they've got me exactly where they want me, I'm utterly unbiased, and just… you're neutral, and I am not neutral, I have opinions and I have things to say. 'They'll keep you 'til you're of no use to them, and I think that's what happened. 'Essentially, I got lots of reasons why they couldn't commission the show, I had kind of rough reasons as to why they said that they couldn't commission the show, but no definitive, 'this is why we are not commissioning your show'. 'Considering my show got great ratings every year, like really good ratings, I can't see there's a reason why my show wasn't recommissioned.' Hussain said that when her show was discontinued she was told by the BBC to say that she was leaving to focus on 'different projects', despite the fact the statement was 'not the truth', and adding that she refused to agree to it, instead posting on social media that her show had been cancelled. Speaking about her departure, Hussain added: 'My husband and I always spoke about it, and he just said, 'There's going to be a point where they're not going to need you anymore', and the second you don't fit the box, like they have a neat little box, when you don't fit that box anymore, there'll be no space for you. 'And I suppose I don't fit that space anymore, and to be fair, I'm not comfortable in boxes anyway, I prefer glass ceilings to smash through, thank you very much. 'But, yeah, I suppose there's no space for me and and I'm kind of worn out with that, and that made me realise, and it was really interesting, because there was a lot of back and forth between how we how we talk about the fact that my show is no longer on the BBC.' Following her departure, Hussain said she would 'start from scratch, as if I had won Bake Off 10 years ago'. During the interview, Hussain, who hosted BBC shows such as The Chronicles of Nadiya and Nadiya's Family Favourites, also mentioned that she had made complaints about 'a really big breakfast show' and a co-worker who was bullying her, however she did not specify whether these were at the BBC. She claimed presenters on the breakfast show had been 'mocking a recipe out of my book', changing the name of her 'chaat in a bag' dish to 'shat in a bag'. A BBC spokesperson said: 'After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment. 'Nadiya remains a much valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects.' It comes after the BBC's annual report was released today and saw director-general Tim Davie field questions on MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode as well as the Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary.
