Nadiya Hussain posing for Prima (Image: Prima UK / Ray Burmiston)
Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has opened up about her body confidence “shame”, telling Prima when young she “loathed” the way she looked.
But the married mother-of-three, 40, has revealed a surprising new hobby that helps target her mindfulness … archery.
Nadiya found fame winning the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off in 2015 and since has starred on shows including The One Show, The Chronicles of Nadiya and TV cookery series Nadiya’s British Food Adventure.
But in a reveal-all interview in March’s edition of Prima, she has told how she still “can’t look at the camera” in photoshoots and lacks body confidence.
Nadiya, from Luton, explained: “I grew up in a house full of very, very teeny, tiny people. And one thing that was definitely made obvious was that I was always bigger than my siblings.
“From a very early age, I felt shame, because I was bigger than they were. I look back now and I think, ‘Really?’ Many of us look back and think, ‘Why did I loathe myself so much in those moments, because I look absolutely fine!’”
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Nadiya Hussain is a cover star (Image: Prima UK / Ray Burmiston)
On her journey to self-acceptance, she said she still struggles to look at the cameras in photoshoots, adding: “I can’t look at the screens when photos are being taken.
“Even to this day, I will pick myself apart and say, ‘Oh, my legs look fat there,’ or ‘I look overweight,’ or ‘The clothes don’t fit nice.’
“But then I remind myself that it’s all right, do it. Let’s move on. Go eat the croissant. It’s not a problem. It’s taken me 40 years, and I constantly dip back and forth from it. But I do know that I’m definitely better than I was.”
The mother of two boys and one daughter said: “If I can just teach my daughter to love herself, that’s my job done. Even if I spend a lifetime loathing myself, if I can teach her to love herself, that’s all I need.
“She’s so, so confident; nothing like me when I was 14, and I love that about her. I wasn’t raised that way, and I wasn’t reminded that I was beautiful and that I could do brilliant things.”
In October 2024, Nadiya Hussain revealed her diagnosis of two autoimmune diseases.
She has told Prima: “If I think about how hard I’ve worked over the past nine years, I think that stress and exhaustion is a huge part in my diagnosis of illness that I’ve had over the past year.
“My [autoimmune disease] is a lifelong thing. It’s something that I will live with forever and it’s something that I will have to deal with forever.
“But I’m very lucky, because I have really amazing support at home. I have people who look out for me and that’s really important. But my best advice to anyone is to learn to look out for yourself and know when you need to stop.”
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Nadiya Hussain talks about her body confidence (Image: Prima UK / Ray Burmiston)
And on learning the value of rest she told readers: “I’m 40 years old. I have three beautiful children. I want to be around to see them grow up. And I can’t guarantee what illnesses I may have in the future, but for now, I can look after myself.
“The difference between me this year and last year is that this year, I know that if I’ve had a really long day’s work, the following day, I’ll make myself rest.”
So Nadiya said part of her relaxation is taking a bow and arrows out into the woods.
The cook added: “I use my kitchen as a tool to quieten my mind. But what I’ve also learned is that I’m really good at other things. I go down to the woods and do archery, just to let off some steam.
“I don’t know what I’m going to pick up next. I’d like to start shooting, because my aim is quite good. I’m making my own dining table as well.”
* The March 2025 issue of Prima is now on sale or visit