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Bake Off’s Nadiya Hussain says she felt ‘self-conscious’ about going to a spa

Hussain, who is a Muslim, said she was “all too aware” she looked different.

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Nadiya Hussain

The Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain said she felt “self-conscious” about visiting a health spa but “braved it”.

Hussain, 33, has become a role model to Muslim women in the UK following her victory in the sixth series of the cookery competition in 2015.

On Tuesday, she shared a picture on her Instagram of her and two other women at a spa while wearing headscarves.

The post was captioned: “We’re always really apprehensive doing totally normal things like going to a spa. Our swimwear uses up a little more material, including the extra material on our head ! It’s hard not to feel a little bit self conscious but we braved it.”

Hussain, who as well as winning Bake Off has scooped book deals and her own TV series, added: “First time we’ve ever been to a spa and it certainly won’t be our last. We did it all, wearily and all too aware that we looked different.

“But we did it ! We felt like everyone else, we laughed we joked and we relaxed.”

She added the hashtag, #wereallthesame.

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Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain said she was initially reluctant to become a role model (Ian West/PA)

Earlier this month, the mother of three, who is originally from Luton and is of Bangladeshi descent, said she had no desire to be a role model after winning Bake Off, but has learned that her presence helps pave the way for others like her.

She told The Guardian: “After Bake Off I just wanted to bake, I had no intention of being a role model or a representative.

“Why did it matter that I’m brown, a woman and Muslim?

“But now I understand – I need to be here, and it’s important for me to stay: to make space for people like me in this industry.”

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