Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nadiya Hussain: I won’t let my skin be lightened for photoshoots now

Nadiya Hussain: I won’t let my skin be lightened for photoshoots now

CELEBRITY baker Nadiya Hussain has revealed that her skin was intentionally lightened for photoshoots but she could not prevent it because of the “fear of rocking the boat”.

The winner of the 2015 edition of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off show suggested she would not allow make-up artists to treat her skin that way now.


“Early on, I’ve had magazine shoots and felt my skin was lighter (later), I’ve also had instances where I’ve sat in a make-up artist’s chair and they have visibly made my skin lighter,” the second-generation British Bangladeshi immigrant told the Mirror.

“Early on, I remember hearing a lot of tutting, like ‘oh, I can’t get the right shade’ and then my skin being lighter in the pictures,” said the author and TV presenter who featured in Debrett’s list of the 500 Most Influential People in the UK.

Hussain, 37, said, “If somebody did that to me now, I would say, ‘Absolutely no way. That’s not ok.’ But back then I was scared to rock the boat. It would never happen with my make-up artist, who really knows my skin.”

The IT Cosmetics brand ambassador did not get into makeup until her late 20s “because I couldn’t ever find the right shade of foundation”.

“That might seem really small for lots of people but for those of us who cannot find a foundation colour, you feel really excluded. You feel like there’s an entire beauty industry that isn’t thinking about you, and that you almost don’t exist,” Hussain said.

The chef is the host of the TV cookery series Nadiya’s British Food Adventure and Nadiya’s Family Favourites.

Hussain, whose father was a chef himself and owned an Indian restaurant, learnt basic cooking skills at school. The writer of Nadiya’s Kitchen – a collection of the recipes – she presented her own cooking programmes. She is also a columnist.

More For You

JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
budget friendly spring destinations

Lock in affordable trips and avoid inflated prices

iStock

Top 7 budget-friendly spring destinations for 2025

With spring break just around the corner, it's time to lock in affordable trips and avoid inflated prices. Booking three weeks to a month in advance can help secure the best deals. Spring 2025 is shaping up to be a great time for travel, with airfares for international trips down by 3% and hotel rates decreasing by 2%, making it easier than ever to plan a memorable trip without breaking the bank. Here are seven top destinations to explore on a budget this spring.

1. Big Bear, California

Big Bear Lake, CaliforniaiStock

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

Sarju Khushal

Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

A MAN who supplied controlled drugs on a ‘wholesale’ scale across Leicestershire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sarju Khushal, 30, was arrested in 2022 after investigations revealed he had been transporting drugs from Lancashire into the area.

Khushal, formerly of Hazeldene Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to several charges, including the supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was sentenced at Leicester crown court last Thursday (6).

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less