The Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has reflected on the encouraging message she received from Mary Berry, ahead of her new show's debut.
During an interview with Digital Spy to celebrate the release of her upcoming TV show Cook Once, Eat Twice, the 2015 winner shared: "I met Mary a few years ago at an event, and she said to my husband, 'I hope she does this for as long as I have'.
"That, to me, was a blessing coming from a genuinely wonderful human being and I was like, 'I'm gonna take that'. I hope I am doing this for as long as Mary has."
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Hussain also recalled the challenges she faced during her time on Bake Off.
"At the beginning, it was simple things like getting on a train," she said. "I couldn't do stuff like that. I had three panic attacks the first time I had to get on a train to get to Newbury to film Bake Off, but I was determined to do it."
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She continued: "[I had] a big suitcase with lots of rattling tins in there. Everybody was looking at me and like, 'Where is she going? Why is her suitcase rattling?'
"Imagine, I'm a Muslim woman. I was like, 'What am I doing here on this train with a rattling suitcase? For god's sake?' It was really stressful."
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Hussain went on to share that she has overcome much "bigger challenges" since then.
"Leaving my children to go and travel for three weeks to film a show, and not really understanding what that meant and how I would benefit from that, [was a challenge]," she said. "They were really, really small.
"Now I see the pay-off. My kids are independent and I get to do a job that I love. So yeah, I've challenged myself in ways that I never imagined that I would.
"I will always have fears, but I'm ready to face them. That's the difference between me now and me 10 years ago."
Nadiya's Cook Once, Eat Twice airs on Tuesday, September 17 at 7.30pm on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
