“It was the most emotional journey ever!”
NADIYA HUSSAIN IS SETTING OFF IN SEARCH OF FAMILY CONNECTIONS IN A NEW TWO-PART SPECIAL…
Last year, Nadiya Hussain took a DNA test to find out about her ancestry, and got back some surprising results. Nadiya was born and raised in Britain, and her family is originally from Bangladesh, but the test revealed that she also has roots in Cambodia, Nepal and Thailand.
This two-part series sees Nadiya head off to visit these countries to explore her newfound connections. Intrigued to find out what it was like for her to go in search of a history she previously knew nothing about, Inside TV got Nadiya on the phone for a chat…
“Lots of people know where their family has come from, and can go back generations,” Nadiya tells us. “I can only go back as far as my grandad, and the vague stories my grandma tells me. She’s in her 90s now, and every story is like, ‘I’m sure this isn’t the same as the last time she told me!’ She’s all I’ve got in terms of our family history, so I’m desperate to know where it all started.”
Nadiya says in the show that this trip is farther than she’s ever travelled solo before, and she tells us she really missed her kids while she was away.
“My children are like my scarves and my shoes and my jacket,” she shares. “Leaving them behind is the hardest thing in the world. The reason why I was doing this was even harder, because I was going off to discover something about myself, but ultimately whatever I discovered affected them, too. So when I got back, they were like, ‘That’s not fair! We want to do it, too!’ So I’ll just have to go back to Cambodia and Nepal and Thailand with the kids!”
Of course, since this is Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain we’re talking to, this show isn’t only a family history expedition – it’s also a chance to discover the culinary cultures of the places she’s visiting and try out some new recipes.
“My favourite was making the grandmothers’ curry in Thailand,” reveals Nadiya. “I felt so connected to them that by the end we were hugging and kissing. They wanted to see what my husband and kids looked like – they didn’t believe me when I said I had three kids, and I loved that!”
Going on this trip was also an unforgettable experience – and Nadiya admits that it’s set her mind racing…
“I thought it would close one chapter for me where I could say, ‘Okay, so now I know,’” she explains. “But in fact it’s spurred my curiosity even more, and I can’t stop! But at least I have a rough idea of where my family might have come from – and it was the most emotional, exhausting journey I’ve ever made in my life!”
I FELT SUCH A CONNECTION THAT WE WERE HUGGING AND KISSING BY THE END OF IT”