SHINING STAR - 'I NEVER IMAGINED I WOULD BE WHERE I AM TODAY'

NADIYA HUSSAIN TALKS TO OK! ABOUT HER RISE TO FAME, STAYING HUMBLE AND HER FAVOURITE PART OF HER JOB

- JEN PHARO

Nadiya Hussain is warm, generous and never stops smiling, so it's surprising to discover that her favourite word is "no". After years of people pleasing, the TV chef, 38, has discovered the wonderful power of "no" and is focusing only on things she wants to do, without justifying her reasons to others.

"One thing I was told not long ago is that no is a full sentence," says Nadiya. "You should be able to say no without explanation. I live by that now. If I say no, I don't owe anyone an explanation. I can just say no." 12 Nadiya, who shares sons Musa, 17, Dawud, 16, and Maryam, 13, with her husband Abdal, plans to pass her wisdom on to her three children, who she hopes will follow their dreams as they begin to leave the nest.

"It's very important, especially as a woman in this industry and especially for my children as they're growing up navigating this world, to understand that they can say no without explanation and that is OK," insists Nadiya.

Since she won The Great British Bake Off in 2015, Nadiya has not stopped working and has produced countless TV series. Nadiya's Everyday Baking has just finished on BBC Two in time for Nadiya's Simple Spices to start broadcasting.

Alongside multiple TV series, she's written cookery books, children's books and co-authored three novels. Time is precious for Nadiya.

"My toxic trait is to say, 'Come on, let's go do something' and know, deep down inside, that I want to be in bed by eight, in my pyjamas by seven and have had dinner by six," she says.

Cooking for her family is Nadiya's passion, but to relax she has a different and rather surprising hobby - archery. She took it up after walking in the woods near her Buckinghamshire home and being intrigued by the noise of arrows thudding into targets.