Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has opened up about her experience of traveling to America, revealing she is always stopped and searched.
The presenter, whose new BBC show, Nadiya’s American Melting Pot, launches next week, says her past experiences of arriving and leaving the US heightens her anxiety.
“I’ve always been nervous about travelling to America because there isn’t one time that I’ve been to America and I haven’t been stopped in searches,” Nadiya told Metro.co.uk.
“That’s always happened and I always expect it. They always say it’s completely random – and it may very well be, but I’m always stopped and searched.”
The TV chef added that any nervousness she had is “always confirmed on the way there and then on the way back”.
“That almost heightens my anxiety to travel to America”’ she added.
“But to be fair, when I was there, there was nothing there to make me feel anxious or worried, even though we were in places of high immigration.”
In Nadiya’s American Adventure, the Bake Off champ travels to Louisiana and California to find out how generations of migrants are changing the national menu.
Speaking about her latest trip for the show, Nadiya said: “I almost think that when you’re doing something like this you almost have to park those emotions aside.”
Nadiya has been vocal about her experience of living with anxiety and has said the criticism she and other celebrities face can deter other sufferers from seeking help.
“There are people out there who are supportive, but there are others who say, ‘you’re just another celebrity jumping on the mental health bandwagon’,” she told Radio Times.
“It infuriates me because it’s that attitude that actually stops people from speaking out.”
The mum-of-three added that she felt some people lacked compassion when it came to people from different backgrounds.
She said: “As someone who’s lived with this their whole life, it’s really hard to talk about and admit to, particularly when you want to appear strong and in control.
“People aren’t always compassionate about the fact that people of all races, religions, genders and financial situations can have mental health issues.”
Nadiya’s American Melting Pot airs Thursday 10 December at 8pm on BBC One.