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, ..
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’
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
‘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.
The winner of the 2015 edition of the baking competition revealed last month that the broadcaster had decided not to renew her programme
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.
Nadiya announced earlier this month that the broadcaster has decided not to commission any more shows with her
Now, the star has addressed her feelings about the situation and messages she has received since
‘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”.’
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.’
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.
