‘I was too scared to speak’: GBBO winner Nadiya Hussain reveals makeup artists used to lighten her skin for photoshoots early in her career
Nadiya Hussain revealed that makeup artists intentionally lightened her skin for photoshoots early in her career.
The TV star, 37, who won the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off in 2015, said she was too scared to talk for fear of ‘rocking the boat’.
Speaking to The Mirror, as she launches her own IT cosmetics make-up range, the TV star said being more confident meant she would never agree to such treatment today.
Shocking: Nadiya Hussain, 37, revealed that make-up artists intentionally lightened her skin for photo shoots at the start of her career
Nadiya told the publication: “At first I had magazine photo shoots and I felt my skin was clearer. [afterwards]I’ve also had instances where I’ve sat in a makeup artist’s chair and they have visibly cleared my skin.”
Going on to say, “At first I remember hearing a lot of tutus, like ‘oh I can’t get the shade right’ and then my skin was lighter in the photos. If someone did that to me right now, I would say, ‘Absolutely not. It’s not correct.
“But at the time, I was afraid to rock the boat. This would never happen with my makeup artist, who really knows my skin.
It comes after Nadiya shared how cooking helped her family cope with the death of her sister-in-law Ramana who died of stage 4 cancer earlier this year.
The celebrity chef believes food is what “brings everyone together” in these dark times and puts smiles on people’s faces.
Scared: The TV star who won the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off in 2015, said she was too scared to talk for fear of ‘rocking the boat’
The TV chef struggled to ‘function normally’ following the loss of her close family until she turned to cooking.
She told the Radio Times: ‘In difficult and dark times like this, it’s really hard to function normally. This is the first time I have experienced a loss so close to my family and it will affect us forever. But what I noticed is that, even in death, food becomes central.
Ramana died aged 34 in June, leaving behind her husband Akmoul and their two children.
The mum-of-three continued: ‘It’s what brings everyone together. We had to house his family, making sure they were fed and cared for. And that was it (through) the food. It was, ‘Let’s go cook. Let’s do things they like.
It was all about the food. It put a smile on people’s faces (and) gave them food.
Taking to Instagram at the time, Nadiya uploaded a video telling fans her family was going through a “difficult time” after the death.
She said: “It has been a difficult and sad time for our family, we have had a huge loss in our family which we expected but nothing really prepares you for this.
‘Nothing really prepares you for death even if it is inevitable.
“We lost our sister-in-law who was 34 and it was a very difficult time for our family all around, my brother-in-law and their children, and just my family as a whole.
‘He was an absolute inspiration, his wife until the end was the strongest person I know and she taught us so much and that’s why we haven’t been there because we focus on our family and that we are there for each other.’
cooking with love: this comes after Nadiya explained how cooking helped her family cope with the death of her sister-in-law Ramana who died of stage 4 cancer earlier this year
Advertising
