Nadiya Hussain 'won’t always be grateful' after BBC axing
Nadiya Hussain has revealed how she's approaching her career, following her axing by the BBC.
Nadiya Hussain "won’t always be grateful" for her career opportunities.
The 40-year-old chef has taken to social media to reflect on her career, shortly after the BBC announced that it was cancelling her cooking shows.
In a video posted on Instagram, Nadiya explained: "I have received tons of messages since talking about my situation with the BBC, messages from people telling me to be grateful for the opportunity and be thankful for how far I’ve come.
"Now, 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. Grateful for being let in, grateful for having work, even if underpaid, grateful for safety, even if it meant silence.
"Always grateful, even when I feel tired, lonely, or disrespected.
"At first, gratitude felt right because it was instilled in me from a young age; it was all I saw.
"But after a while, it starts to get really heavy. Gratitude became something that I was 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? But here’s what I’ve come to understand. I am allowed to feel more than just thankful. I am a human being, and I am 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 fully. Complex, emotional, hopeful, sometimes critical, just like anyone else."
Nadiya observed that she's earned all of her career success, and acknowledged that she "won’t always be grateful".
The former Great British Bake Off winner continued: "So no, I won’t always be grateful, and that doesn’t make me ungrateful; it makes me human. That’s what it does.
"So, I’ve got here through hard work, through determination, through talent, so no, I won’t be grateful. I got here because I’m good at what I do. Just something to think about."
