Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain broke down in tears as she revealed she was quitting her teaching job just days after announcing she would be quitting showbiz
12:52, 24 Feb 2026Updated 12:58, 24 Feb 2026
Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain quits teaching job days after leaving TV(Image: BBC/Wall to Wall/Tom Kirkman)
Nadiya Hussain, the winner of the 2015 series of Great British Bake Off, tearfully revealed she was saying goodbye to her teaching job – just days after announcing she had left her TV career to teach. The baker shared that she is having to stop her role as a primary school teaching assistant as it “played havoc with her health”.
She had started looking for work outside of showbiz after the BBC axed her cookery show. Just weeks after starting the job, she made the announcement she was leaving in an Instagram video, where she wiped away her tears as she spoke. “Hi guys, giving you a life update that you didn’t ask for but you are going to get anyway,” she said.
“So, as you guys know when the BBC cancelled my show, I was kind of at a crossroads, I wasn’t sure where I was going, what I wanted to do. “I had loads of options, I toyed with lots of options, open a business I could do a pop-up restaurant or kitchen, none of which appealed to me at the time.”
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Nadiya said she had gotten a job as a teaching assistant(Image: Nadiya Hussain/Instagram)
She broke down in tears as she spoke(Image: Nadiya Hussain/Instagram)
“She added that she was still publishing her books but had applied for other jobs as she was “really scared” and that was how she found herself in teaching. “I’ve always wanted to work with children in younger years as a teaching assistant and I applied for a few jobs, which in itself was difficult for lots or reasons,” she added.
“I applied and got a job as a TA (teaching assistant) at a primary school and I’ve got to say, apart from raising my own children, it was one of the best jobs I’ve ever done. I loved every second of waking up in the morning with a spring in my step for these beautiful children. I just loved every second of doing that job.
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“But unfortunately doing a job like that as somebody with a weakened immune system it just played havoc with my health.” Nadiya suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that results in musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and problems with mental processes.
The GBBO winner explained: “As you know, anyone who works in a school setting – there are lots of coughs and colds bugs and I just couldn’t get better. bSo, I was sick all the time and it got to the point where it was affecting my mental health and I just wasn’t performing, giving my best because I was always sick.
“I had to make a really tough decision, one of the toughest I’ve ever had to make was stepping away from that job. I was there for a little over three months and loved every single second of it and more than anything I just loved seeing the children grow. It made me realise that there are certain sectors I would like to work in and so it’s just focused me in some ways because I know what areas I would like to work in.
Nadiya won Bake Off in 2015(Image: BBC)
She has since done other TV shows(Image: BBC / Voltage TV Productions)
“But unfortunately with a weakened immune system working as a TA in a primary school was just proving impossible and it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make to step away for it. I had to do it for the sake of my health but I worked with some amazing people over the last three months and they know who they are.
“I was so lucky the primary school, gave me an opportunity to do this job and I loved every second of it but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. But it has made me think about what’s important to me and what I wanted to do and sometimes you have to make tough decisions In life.”
She added that people have to put themselves first and that this time, that meant she had to “put my health first”. Nadiya continued to say that she was “better for it” but still “really sad”.
Though Nadiya was with the school for only three months, she announced her career change just days ago. Following over ten years on screen, with shows such as Nadiya Bales, Nadiya’s Fast Flavours and Nadiya’s Simple Spices, Nadiya shared with women&home magazine that she had a “gut feeling that something wasn’t right” before the BBC axed her show and that she got “no closure” afterwards.
Nadiya said when the decision was made she was contacted by other channels like ITV and Channel 4 but at the moment working on a new series was “not something that I want to do”. Instead she changed careers completely and she explained: “I’m currently working as a teaching assistant at a lovely little primary school. The plan is to gain some training and maybe in the future become a teacher.”
Following Nadiya’s departure from Giles Brook Primary School, the school’s newsletter said she was a valued member of staff. They wrote: “Although Nadiya has been with us for a relatively short time, she has quickly become a valued member of our class and school team. The children have enjoyed working with her and we are grateful for the help and encouragement she has given them during her time with us.”
Several celebs hopped in Nadiya’s comments to wish her well and show her support. Lisa Faulkner said: “You are brilliant and I love you.” TV medic Dr Amir Khan added: “As a doctor I totally get this. You have to look after your health and I’ve no doubt you will find a way to work with children where you and they both thrive.”
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