GBBO Winner Nadiya Hussain Hailed A Positive Role Model For Young British Muslims

Nadiya Hussain was crowned the winner of this year’s “The Great British Bake Off”. [Photo: Rex]

The BBC estimated that around 14 million people tuned in to see Nadiya Hussain win “The Great British Bake Off 2015” earlier this month.

The 30-year-old amateur baker became very popular during her time on the hit baking show thanks to her wit and expressive nature and she even boasts her own fan following dubbed “Nadiyators”.

The 30-year-old was overwhelmed with her win. [Photo: BBC]

Hussain has since been highlighted as a positive role model for young British Muslims – a label that she finds “very flattering”.

“To be called a positive role model for young British Muslims is astounding and also very flattering,” Hussain told Refinery29. “I am also British, Bangladeshi, a stay-at-home mum and a wife. I play many roles in my life, and if I can relate to anyone at any level, that, for me, is a massive achievement.

“It is so flattering to think women look up to me after following the show. I hope my being on the show will allow women to believe that anything is possible. I certainly believe that now!”

It was an incredible emotional finale, with Mary wiping Nadiya’s tears away as the nation wet into their sofas. [Photo: Twitter/The Great British Bake Off]

Hussain says the audience engaged with her in a way that she didn’t imagine they would, watching her grow in confidence as the competition progressed.

“Now that I watch that back, I see the same, too,” she admits. “The 10 weeks of filming were emotional, exhausting, thrilling, and at times difficult. So by the time I had reached the end and I made that final speech, I knew and the audience knew those words were real and they came from a deep place.

“It was empowering for me to go out there and do something that I was deathly afraid of doing, and then I did it in front of an audience of 14.5 million. I hope that women, children, men, and women can take those words and feel empowered themselves.”

Hussain’s wedding cake featured stunning jewels and handmade flowers. [Photo: BBC]

It was Hussain’s showstopper bake that secured her win, which she explains was a homage to herself.

“Each aspect of the bake had an element of the people I love the most — from the type of cake, the fondant, the jewels, the flowers, and the decorations,” she explains. “I am a mix of two cultures but also lucky enough to have the love and support of a strong family unit. The homage was to me, from my British Bangladeshi heritage to the individual members of my family, all of which make me who I am.”

“My husband has been paramount to my success,” says Hussain. [Photo: Rex]

But it wasn’t just the mum-of-three’s emotional win that Twitter users couldn’t stop talking about (or Mary Berry’s teary congratulatory speech) – GBBO fans couldn’t get enough of the winner’s “dreamboat” husband Abdal.

In addition to being a bit of a looker, he lovingly supported his wife throughout the entire competition.

“My husband has been paramount to my success,” says Hussain. “He has supported me and taken on the role of mummy in my absence. He has been the one to pick me up and dust the flour off on days when I have been exhausted and just felt like giving up. It was my husband who encouraged me to apply, and both my husband and three children who willed me to go on.”

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