Nadiya Hussain says 'gratitude shouldn't be a muzzle' after BBC backlash

TV chef and former Great British Bake Offchampion, Nadiya Hussain, has shared a powerful message about the expectation of “gratitude” she feels as the child of immigrants. Hussain says she is “allowed to feel more than just thankful” after her decade-long tenure with the BBC recently came to an end.

In a new Instagram video, the TV chef said she received a ton of messages from people telling her to be “grateful for the opportunity” and “thankful for how far [she’s] come,” after discussing her disappointment at having her BBC shows axed.

In response, Hussain highlighted the pressure to clamp down on expressing sadness or frustration over the years, at the risk of sounding ungrateful - especially as the child of immigrants.

“My whole life as a child in an immigrant household, I used to think I had to be grateful all the time because I watched my family. Always grateful.

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“Grateful for being let in. Grateful for having work - even if underpaid. Grateful for safety - even if it meant silence. Always grateful. Grateful even when I feel tired, lonely or disrespected.” She shared that over time the expectation to be grateful began to feel “really heavy” and that it became something she felt expected to wear “like a uniform”.

“Anytime I voiced frustration or sadness or wanted more, I could feel the invisible pressure. Like ‘how dare you complain?’ ‘Aren’t you lucky just to be here?’”. Now, Hussain says she has learned she's "allowed to feel more than just thankful".

“I am a human being and I’m allowed to feel angry when I’m treated unfairly. I’m allowed to want better for myself and for my family. I’m allowed to speak up. I’m allowed to exist.”

“Gratitude has its place, but it shouldn’t be a muzzle,” continues Hussain. Alluding to immigrants and their families she says: “We didn’t come here just to survive. We came here to live, to grow, to contribute, to belong. Not as a guest but as a person who has rights and dreams and dignity just like everyone else.”

“So no, I won’t always be grateful,” concludes Hussain. “And that doesn’t make me ungrateful. It makes me human.”

In a previous Instagram post in which she announced her ending ties with the BBC, Hussain shared that the TV industry “doesn't always support Muslim women like me”.

"The BBC have decided that they didn't want to commission a show. And for me, that was a huge turning point because it's something I've done for the past 10 years.

"I was already on this steady trajectory of change and I was thinking about where I wanted my career to go, and when the BBC decided they didn't want to commission the show anymore, it really did kind of solidify everything for me, and it made me dig my heels in and think 'OK, I know where I want to be’.”

The TV chef has fronted several food series for the BBC since winning The Great British Bake Off in 2025 - when the show was on BBC1 - including Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya’s Fast Flavours and Nadiya’s Simple Spices. She also worked on a documentary with the company entitled Nadiya: Anxiety and Me.

A BBC spokesperson said: "After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment."

The statement continued: "Nadiya remains a much-valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects."

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