Bake Off icon Nadiya Hussain has revealed that she has been diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases.
The 39-year-old television chef, who rose to fame after winning the Great British Bake Off in 2015, shared her news in an emotional Instagram video.
Her diagnosis comes after experiencing a period of feeling ‘quite sick and unwell’ over the last two years.
Although Nadiya didn’t disclose the specific conditions, she promised to share more details when she feels she has a ‘better handle’ on them.
The GBBO star urged fans to listen to their bodies and to advocate for a diagnosis if they believe something isn’t quite right.
Speaking on Instagram, Nadiya said: “I cannot express enough the importance of taking care of yourself. I am the kind of person who burns the candle at both ends, takes care of everyone else’s needs but my own.”
“I don’t take time out for myself. I don’t really know what that means or what that feels like. Not really. And when I do take time for myself, I feel incredibly guilty.”
“But recently, mostly this year, but over the course of two years, I’ve been quite unwell. I’ve just been getting quite sick. And over the course of the two years, I’ve been diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases, which I’m not going to go into now.”
An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells, tissues, or organs, reports the Mirror.
Although the exact triggers can vary between different autoimmune diseases, and symptoms often develop gradually and can affect various systems in the body, depending on the specific condition.
The chef stated that obtaining her diagnosis will enable her to better manage her illness moving forward.
Nadiya admitted to her 896k followers that she only tends to her self-care when she starts to feel unwell.
She admitted: “I’m the worst at that. I’m not very good at it at all. I will only ever take care of myself when my body’s in shutdown. And that’s not good for you. We need to take more care of ourselves.”
Nadiya wrapped up by acknowledging that the past year has been difficult, marked by numerous tests and efforts to comprehend her health condition.
She continued: “But I feel like it’s really important to come out the other side and be grateful for and feel blessed that although, it’d be great not to be sick, I’m here.
“And that’s really what matters is that I’m here and I need to do all the things that I can to positively impact myself mentally and physically. And that’s all I can really do.”
Since winning The Great British Bake Off, the chef has emerged as a strong advocate, passionately addressing issues that resonate with women.
She emphasises the significance of embracing diversity in beauty, highlighting how every individual possesses unique qualities that contribute to their own beauty. She become the face of IT Cosmetics skincare and make-up, in 2022.
She highlighted that its important for her to work with a make-up brand that supports diversity.
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