Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has bemoaned the reception she received from the showbiz industry after trying to incorporate her faith into her work.
The TV chef has claimed that she was perceived as “too much” and was constantly trying to prove she was “British enough or Bangladeshi enough or Muslim enough” by decision makers.
Ms Hussain has publicly criticised the BBC in the past year or so after the broadcaster decided to bring her on-screen projects to an end.
The baker decided to turn her back on the limelight and pursue a career in education. However, earlier this week, she openly admitted that she quit the teaching role after three months due to the impact on her physical and mental health.
Nadiya Hussain was the face of a number of BBC cooking shows | BBC
Now, ahead of the release of her latest cookbook, Ms Hussain has explained that she would’ve loved to have enjoyed a career similar to that of cooking TV royalty, Mary Berry.
At 90 years of age, Ms Berry remains a stalwart on television screens and cookery programmes, but Ms Hussain has claimed that her faith and ethnicity have meant she’ll never be able to replicate the former Bake Off judge’s “longevity”.
Speaking in a new interview, Ms Hussain claimed that the reception to one of her previous cookbooks that incorporated Islam was a “turning point” for her.
“When BBC cancelled the show, and I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I see what’s happening’. And so from that point, I got rid of my management. I needed to start from scratch,” she told PA.
Nadiya Hussain worked with the BBC for the best part of a decade | BBC
“I cannot become this manufactured caricature version of myself that everybody thinks is sellable as a brand. It’s hard not to feel like a token, because it’s almost like we’re allowed a certain amount of space, until that space no longer exists for us. When the box has been ticked.”
Ms Hussain went on to admit that she “would’ve loved” to see herself in Ms Berry’s position and still cooking on primetime TV into her eighties.
“I would have loved to have seen that for myself, but that’s a dream that I can’t live up to because I’m not white,” she said.
“We don’t have longevity. I can’t even find another Muslim woman to equate myself to, or stand shoulder to shoulder with. There’s this show of, ‘Look, we’re inclusive’, until we’re not. But it’s not about being inclusive in the moment.”
Mary Berry has been a familiar face on cooking TV for decades
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PA
Ms Hussain repeated her desire to replicate the long-standing success of Ms Berry, but reiterated: “I don’t want to be a token, but because I’m good at it, because I know my shows were amazing.”
Sadly for Ms Hussain, it’s not just the BBC that appeared to turn down future projects with the baker, as she claimed a handful of brands similarly have distanced themselves.
“There aren’t that many brands that want to work with me anymore because there is a version of me that just makes them uncomfortable, but that’s okay for me because if our views don’t align, then I don’t want to work with you anyway,” she insisted.
Despite Ms Hussain’s optimism about her current state of affairs regarding her work projects, she’s suggested it means she’ll take a hit financially.
Nadiya Hussain was told by the BBC her show wouldn’t be returning | PA
“I’ll definitely make less money for it,” Ms Hussain said of any future work. “And that is a subject that makes people really uncomfortable, because what I think lots of people don’t realise is that…I have to work 10 times harder.
“I have to constantly prove my worth and to constantly be grateful. I have to constantly show that I’m British enough or Bangladeshi enough or Muslim enough.
“But that’s hard to carry all of that and to do a job and to show up bright and breezy, and it’s quite a lot.”
In response to Ms Hussain’s remarks, a BBC spokesperson repeated the same statement it shared following Ms Hussain’s departure.
Mary Berry is now 90 years of age and still working
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PA
A spokesperson said: “After many wonderful series, we made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain for the time being.
“We remain open to working with her in the future.”