Nearly a decade after her emotional triumph on Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain has revealed the painful reason she still cannot bear to hear the show’s theme tune.
When Nadiya Hussain was crowned champion of The Great British Bake Off in 2015, her victory speech became one of the most memorable moments in the programme’s history. Overcome with emotion, she told viewers: “I’m never gonna put boundaries on myself again. I’m never gonna say ‘I can’t’. I’m never gonna say ‘Maybe’. I’m never gonna say ‘I don’t think I can’. I can and I will.”
The declaration moved judge Mary Berry to tears and was widely hailed as the triumphant culmination of a classic reality TV transformation. For many watching at home, it symbolised a life-changing breakthrough.
Ye Nadiya now reflects on that period with far more complexity than the glossy narrative might suggest. Looking back, she insists she did not recognise the arc others projected onto her experience. Speaking to The i, she said: “I didn’t realise that I was on ‘a journey’ at the time. I had no idea that was happening,” she has said. Although she can now acknowledge that the experience was a “beautiful” rite of passage, revisiting it is not easy.
In fact, she admits she avoids watching clips from her time in the famous tent. “Watching it back stresses me out because I remember the anxiety I was feeling. I still can’t listen to the theme tune from Bake Off.” Asked if she truly cannot bear to hear it, her response is immediate. She shudders. “No. No. I can’t.”
Her win propelled her into national prominence and led to a decade of cookery programming with the BBC. During that time she fronted a number of series, including Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya’s Time To Eat and Nadiya’s Family Favourites. However, last year those programmes were not recommissioned — a development she has described as having “shocked” her.
A BBC 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.”
For Nadiya, the decision marked a turning point. Speaking to Press Association, she said: “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. I cannot become this manufactured caricature version of myself that everybody thinks is sellable as a brand.”
Her comments reveal a deeper frustration about representation and longevity within the industry. “It’s really hard to pick a few (Muslim female chefs on TV),” she said, highlighting the scarcity of peers she can identify with. “It’s hard not to feel like a token, because it’s almost like we’re allowed a certain amount of space, ’til that space no longer exists for us. When the box has been ticked.”
She has spoken candidly about her desire for a career that stretches decades, in the mould of established culinary figures. “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. I want to be able to do this for as long as Mary (Berry) has done it. I want that longevity. I want to be able to do it for years and years, but I don’t want to be a token, but because I’m good at it, because I know my shows were amazing.”
Despite the setbacks, Nadiya continues to expand her culinary portfolio. She has just released her 11th cookbook, Nadiya’s Quick Comforts, a collection celebrating the speedy, home-cooked dishes she prepares regularly — food designed to be made quickly and savoured slowly. Published in hardback by Penguin Michael Joseph and priced at £28, with photography by Chris Terry, it is available now.
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