Nadiya Hussain says she lost three brand deals on day she announced Ramadan cook book: 'It dawned on everyone that I'm a Muslim'
Nadiya Hussain claimed she lost three brand deals the day she announced her Ramadan cookbook in a moment she described as a 'turning point' for her career.
The Great British Bake Off Star said she was considered 'too much' after writing the cookbook, Rooza, which was described as a 'culinary exploration of the Islamic world' last year.
The British-Bangladeshi chef, 41, described the moment as a 'turning point' as she claimed she lost three brand deals in a single day following its announcement.
Nadiya explained the cookbook was for 'everybody' but was just 'a little bit closer to home as a Muslim woman who cooks for her family'.
Explaining how she attaches 'faith and food together', she said: 'And the second I did that, and I lost those brand deals, I (realised) somebody's just clocked that.
'These brands have clocked that I'm a Muslim, and that's made them really uncomfortable.
Saying she was the 'digestible version' of herself until that point, she added: 'Everyone was like "Whoa, hold on a second. It's a little too much for me".
'And I thought, "You know what? In that case, I have not been enough".'
Nadiya Hussain (pictured in 2021) claimed she lost three band deals the day she announced her Ramadan cookbook in a moment she described as a 'turning point' for her career
'These brands have clocked that I'm a Muslim, and that's made them really uncomfortable,' she said
It comes as the celebrity chef was left shocked after the BBC decided not to recommission her TV shows last year.
Hussain claimed this week her religion was a factor in the BBC's decision not to renew her shows after over a decade.
The 41-year-old had previously made a string of cooking series for the broadcaster including Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya's Time To East and Nadiya's Family Favourites.
'When BBC cancelled the show, and I thought to myself, "Oh, I see what's happening",' she said as she revealed she got rid of her management from that point.
'I needed to start from scratch. I cannot become this manufactured caricature version of myself that everybody thinks is sellable as a brand.'
Explaining it was hard to 'not feel like a token', she said it was like they were 'allowed a certain amount of space, 'til that space no longer exists for us'.
'What I want to see going into the future is longevity. I would love to have seen myself where Mary Berry is at 85 or 90-something years old, still cooking on television.
'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.
'Because 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.'
Hussain said there weren't many brands who wanted to work with her anymore because there was a 'version of [her] that just makes them uncomfortable'.
'But that's ok for me...because if our views don't align, then I don't want to work with you anyway,' she added.
Describing it as a 'huge wake up call', the celebrity chef says she now only works with brands and people she wants to.
And although she will 'definitely make less money' for that decision, she said that 'for now' she can 'sleep at night'.
'What I think lots of people don't realise is that...I have to work 10 times harder, and I have to constantly prove my worth and to constantly be grateful,' she said.
'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.'
This week Nadiya revealed she had to give up her new teaching assistant job at a primary school because it 'played havoc with her health'.
Meanwhile, insiders told the Daily Mail that her shows had been axed because her star had 'waned' and her recipes had become 'tired'.
But BBC sources insist Nadiya's claim her religion was a major factor in her being dropped 'couldn't be more wide of the mark'.
They insisted the 41-year-old enjoyed a 'long and fruitful' stint with the broadcaster which came to a 'natural end'.
The insider said: 'Nadiya had a decent spell with the Beeb, not many chefs can say they've had a decade's worth of shows on various BBC channels.
'But the BBC is constantly trying to evolve and bring in new talent regarding their food programming, so it's simply the right time to focus on new personalities.'
On Nadiya's claims her Muslim heritage was a factor behind her axing, the insider added: 'That couldn't be more wide of the mark.
'Look at all the series she's made previously with the Beeb: The Chronicles Of Nadiya? Nadiya's Asian Odyssey? She can't say they haven't embraced her roots.'
Latest company accounts for her business reveal she's worth almost £2million thanks to sales of her books
Meanwhile, a separate showbiz source told the Daily Mail there's a belief Nadiya's star has waned in recent years and she's not 'really kicked on' since winning Bake Off in 2015.
They also claim her recipes didn't excite viewers, amid rumours she became harder to work with.
The source said: 'Nadiya was a major star when she won Bake Off and big things were predicted.
'She landed shows on BBC, book deals and other endorsements, so she did well.
'But she's not really kicked onto the next level and it's been over ten years since she won Bake Off, there's new faces on the scene and she's in a battle with them now.
'Their recipes will naturally seem more exciting than Nadiya's, which feel tired in comparison.
'And given she's become increasingly harder to work with since her early days, now she's become more famous, you can see why the BBC pulled the plug.'
The source added: 'It sounds all rather bitter linking her BBC axing to her religion.'
A BBC spokesman 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.'
