Nadiya Hussain claims she is a victim of racism in the 'broken' TV industry and claims her Muslim faith 'made people uncomfortable'

Nadiya Hussain has claimed that she is a victim of racism in the 'broken' TV industry and that her Muslim faith has 'made people uncomfortable'. 

The TV chef soared to fame in 2015 after she was crowned the winner of The Great British Bake Off and has since bagged herself a number of BBC shows, including Nadiya's Asian Odyssey, Nadiya's Cook Once Eat Twice and Nadiya's Time To Eat.

However, back in June the quiet and nervy star posted a video on Instagram in which she shared the BBC had decided to no longer commission another one of her shows after 10 years on our screens. 

In the video, Nadiya spoke about 'gaslighting' in the TV industry and said she felt as a Muslim woman, had not always been supported or allowed to fulfil her potential.

And now, over six months later, Nadiya has left no holds barred as she spoke out about being a victim of racism in the industry, saying: 'I get paid less to do the same job as the white version of me.' 

Nadiya has an inkling that it was the publication of her Muslim-inspired cookbook Rooza last year that led to brands dropping her, explaining: 'It was really interesting, because I felt like people had just twigged, "Oh, she’s a Muslim," and suddenly I wasn’t palatable any more.'

She had known since 2024 that Rooza was not going to be attached to a TV series and last year she also found out the BBC would not be serialising her next book, Nadiya's Quick Comforts, either.

Nadiya had been feeling uncomfortable in the TV industry for a while before her Instagram post last year. She admitted feeling 'manufactured and comfortable for everyone', adding: 'I’d become this palatable version of a Muslim that could be on television, that could write cookbooks.'

Nadiya, who has frequently spoken out about the 'whiteness' of TV and publishing, shared how hard it has been to be the only Muslim woman in a room. 

She told The Guardian: 'People always ask me: "Are we doing better? Has it changed?" It’s broken. This last year has been really important for me to realise that, really accept that, actually, I can’t fix a broken industry.' 

After her shows were axed by the BBC, Nadiya has used the opportunity to reflect on what she wants the next 10 years of her life to look like professionally. 

Launched into the limelight via a reality TV show, she has come to realise that she was never in control of her career that she felt like a 'caricature of myself'.

Last year Nadiya published her latest cookbook, Rooza, which was inspired by dishes from across the Muslim world, especially at Ramadan and Eid. 

While she admitted she has no evidence that Rooza was the reason some brands no longer wanted to work with her, deep down she felt it couldn't be a coincidence that once she brought out a piece of work that was more centred on being Muslim, she wasn't as appealing for brands to work with. 

Nadiya remarked that while before her cookbooks had been marketed at everybody, this one didn't feel as inclusive and she believes it made people feel 'uncomfortable'. 

She also said the pressure to be grateful has followed her throughout her career, explaining that she had 'actively silenced' herself because everything felt like an opportunity.  

Wanting to now be the most authentic version of herself, Nadiya has questioned changes she subconsciously made in order to fit in to the industry. 

She shared that she even changed the way she wore her headscarf, wrapping only her hair rather than her hair and neck, as it looked more modern. 

After leaving her manager and agent in the summer, Nadiya wants to focus on doing something herself, even if that means working on a smaller scale. 

The star hopes to continue publishing books, including something for children. 

The mother-of-three, who has a degree in childhood and youth studies, recently revealed she had started working as a teaching assistant in a primary school. 

However sadly she had to quit after three months 'because it 'played havoc with her health', as she made the heartbreaking revelation on her Instagram in an emotional post.

Wiping away tears on Tuesday, she said: 'Hi guys, giving you a life update that you didn't ask for but you are going to get anyway.

'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.'

Revealing how she was drawn to working in a school she continued: '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.

'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.

'But unfortunately doing a job like that as somebody with a weakened immune system it just played havoc with my health.'

Nadiya, who suffers with fibromyalgia, 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.

'So, 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.

'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.'