SHE’s had 10 years worth of TV commissions from the BBC, numerous book deals and even got to make a wonky birthday cake for Queen Elizabeth back in 2016.
But Nadiya Hussain claims racism in media has held her back.
The Great British Bake Off star fumed this week that it was her religion as a Muslim that caused the Beeb to sack her.
“Suddenly I wasn’t the same Nadiya that I was before, because before I was writing cookbooks that were for everybody, and now I wrote this book that didn’t feel inclusive,” she said.
However, TV insiders say Nadiya was given every opportunity available — and it was, in fact, her personality that meant people no longer wanted to work with her.
“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,” a source told the Daily Mail.
“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.
“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.
“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 become more famous, you can see why the BBC pulled the plug.
“It sounds all rather bitter linking her BBC axing to her religion.”
