NADIYA: ANXIETY AND ME
BBC1, 9pm
SEEMINGLY relaxed and happy, it’s Nadiya Hussain’s natural on-screen manner that catapulted her to TV stardom after she won Bake Off in 2015.
It’s hard to imagine that behind the cameras, she has been battling crippling anxiety for as long as she can remember.
“Nobody sees what it takes to paint on a smile,” says the mum-of-three.
“That feeling of worry is always there. To me anxiety is like a monster.”
Sure that she has an anxiety disorder that has never been properly diagnosed, Nadiya has taken the brave step to find out more about her condition and seek therapy – hoping that by doing it publicly it will help others.
She says: “I know there are thousands of people who suffer just like me. We need to talk.”
Cameras follow Nadiya at home and as she sees a specialist for a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. The sessions reveal some buried memories that may have led to her anxiety.