Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has quit her job as a teaching assistant, which she took after the BBC axed her cookery show last year.
The TV chef, 41, was one of the biggest breakout stars of Bake Off following her win in the sixth series in 2015, going on to front several shows for the broadcaster, including the award-nominated Nadiya Chronicles, Nadiya Bakes and Nadiya’s Fast Flavours.
After the BBC’s decision to drop her – something she still ‘doesn’t know why’ happened – Nadiya said she’d been courted with other offers from the likes of ITV and Channel 4.
However, she chose to pursue a career in teaching at a primary school instead, a job she has now given up because it ‘played havoc with her health’, she has revealed.
In an emotional Instagram post, she said: ‘Hi guys, giving you a life update that you didn’t ask for but you are going to get anyway.
Get personalised updates on The Great British Bake Off
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
‘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.
‘I had loads of options, I toyed with lots of options, open a business I could do a pop-up restaurant or kitchen, none of which appealed to me at the time.
‘I’m still obviously publishing books, cookbooks which I will always love but I kind of reluctantly, you know I was scared, really scared to apply for jobs.’
Talking about her decision to try education, she said: ‘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 has been open about her battle with Fibromyalgia.
She 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.
‘I was so lucky the primary school, gave me an opportunity to do this job and I loved every second of it but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
‘But it has made me think about what’s important to me and what I wanted to do and sometimes you have to make tough decisions In life.
‘These are just little season in life, and you have to get through them you have to make difficult decisions, and they are not always easy but you have to make them and sometimes it’s ok to put yourself first.
‘In this situation I had to put my health first, I’m better for it but I’m sad, really sad, I made some great connections and could see things happening and staying there for years.
‘Yes, it was a tough decision but it was one I had to make but it’s give me focus and made me realise what I am capable of doing as someone with a weakened immune system.’
Nadiya finished by saying: ‘So back to drawing board and figuring stuff out.’
Nadiya previously revealed the job just a few short months ago, telling fans: ‘I’m currently working as a teaching assistant at a lovely little primary school. The plan is to hopefully gain some training and maybe in the future become a teacher,’ she told Woman & Home magazine.
Nadiya shared that she was ‘really enjoying being in an environment where I’m not the centre of it’, even though friends and loved ones had questioned her for taking a step backwards, as they see it.
However she brainstormed her career move with the support of her husband Abdal, 44, knowing she could be faced with a fork in the road – and knowing that she didn’t want it to be ‘food focused’.
‘There have been lots of tears, sadness and judgement. People [close to me] have asked, “Why would you go from being here, right at the top to being at the bottom?” but I don’t see it that way,’ the TV star and author, who received an MBE in the 2020 New Year Honours, added.
‘Just because I’m famous doesn’t mean I’m at the top. I have been at my lowest at the top.’
She also insisted that since she started working at the school, she’s ‘had some of my highest moments’ because ‘nothing beats’ helping the kids she works with feel safe and achieve their goals. Nadiya called her new job ‘her calling’ in the interview too.
When it came to the BBC cancelling her show, Nadiya revealed she had a ‘gut feeling that something wasn’t right’ after 10 years of a regular schedule between her TV work and cookbooks.
She was informed by her agent that the BBC would not be commissioning her to do another TV show and has still not received an explanation as to why from her previous employers.
The former Junior Bake Off judge said: ‘I appreciate that it’s an industry, it’s a business and it’s about making money, but I still don’t know [why they’ve let me go] because I haven’t had a conversation with anyone.
‘There are no answers, no closure.’
In a statement at the time, a BBC spokesman 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.’
At the time the TV personality took to social media to explain that she had always been made to ‘feel grateful’ for the opportunities she received, which added an ‘invisible pressure’ to not voice her frustrations or her desire for more.
And while she is not interested in TV work right now, Nadiya knows what would pique her interest to return, including more creative input in cookery shows.
She’s also interested in creating travelogues and documentaries ‘about issues that matter’, following her 2019 BBC One documentary Nadiya: Anxiety and Me.
The April issue of woman&home is on sale on February 26.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.