Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has shared how her father issued a sad word of warning before she first met her husband Abdal, as the couple now celebrate 20 years of marriage.
Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain has opened up about a poignant warning her father gave her before she tied the knot with her husband.
Nadiya, who triumphed in the show’s sixth series, had not initially set her sights on marriage, aiming instead for higher education. However, she recounts that her parents barred her from university, “fearing the influence” it might have on her.
Growing up in a traditional Bengali household in Luton, Nadiya confided to Fabulous magazine that she saw marriage as her “ticket to freedom”. Her parents initially planned for her to wed a cousin from Bangladesh.
But Nadiya was determined to “marry for love”. She started chatting with her now-husband Abdal, engaging in two months of phone conversations.
The baking sensation admitted she felt she was “punching” above her weight with Abdal, describing him as “tall, fair-skinned and good-looking”. It was at this point that her father gave her a sombre caution, reports Wales Online.
Speaking to Fabulous, the 39-year-old shared: “I worried I was ‘punching’. Colourism is rife in our community and if, like me, you’ve got dark skin, you’re often criticised. I was also short and bigger than my sisters, so felt I had nothing going for me. I’ll never forget what my dad said on seeing Abdal’s picture: ‘I don’t know that he’ll stay with you forever, because he’s very good-looking.'”.
Despite her fears, within weeks the couple met and relocated to Leeds, moving into a house with Abdal’s brothers. Nadiya revealed that she would begin cooking for 13 family members at 8am on weekends, which eventually led her to become “obsessed with baking”.
She gives credit to her husband for pushing her to participate in Bake Off, with Abdal taking the initiative to download the application form. Even when she had doubts, she says her husband’s faith in her “never faltered” as he supported her in adjusting to her sudden fame.
She further stated: “Without Abdal, I wouldn’t have gotten through becoming famous overnight. I think that’s the key to a successful marriage evolving together through ever-changing circumstances.”
Now, as they approach their 20th wedding anniversary, Nadiya reveals that they aim to “set an example” for their three kids. While she admits her parents’ marriage wasn’t “overly loving”, she describes her time with Abdal as “the best years of her life”.
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