Andi Oliver has opened up about the tough time she faced at school, recalling how she was 'the only black girl' and was bullied and subjected to racism.
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The chef, 63, who was born in London but spent part of her childhood in Cyprus, said that when she returned to England in the seventies, she found herself isolated and targeted by classmates.
Speaking to The Times in a new interview, she said: 'It was cold and dark, and I started having nightmares.
'I had a really tough time at school. I was the only black girl, and I was bullied and subjected to racism.
The TV star, who first appeared on screen in the Nineties, said one of the most 'insidious' aspects of the bullying was that part of her felt as though it was her own fault.
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She added that she 'internalised it for a long time' and kept the ordeal from her parents because she felt 'humiliated' and 'ashamed'.
Andi Oliver has opened up about the tough time she faced at school, recalling how she was 'the only black girl' and was bullied and subjected to racism (pictured 2018)
The chef, 63, who was born in London but spent part of her childhood in Cyprus, said that when she returned to England in the seventies, she found herself isolated and targeted by classmates (Andi pictured with her late brother Sean)
Andi is best known for her appearances on the hit BBC cooking show, Great British Menu.
She is also the author of the successful cookbook, The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table, published in 2023.
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Andi was born in Paddington, London and was brought up in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, from the age of 10.
Her father served in the Royal Air Force, while her mother taught at a primary school in Honington, Suffolk.
Andi's latest interview comes after she showed off her slimmer figure and credited the 'magical' weight loss jab Mounjaro for helping her lose five stone.
The Great British Menu host told Good Housekeeping that she isn't 'ashamed' to admit she used the skinny jab to help her shed the excess weight after she lost three stone with 'Peloton training and diet'.
'I’ve lost five stone in four-and-a-half years; I lost the first three with Peloton training and diet, and the last two with Mounjaro,' Andi said.
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'The jab was brilliant for me – I can’t recommend it enough, and I’m not ashamed of it.'
Speaking to The Times in a new interview, she said: 'It was cold and dark, and I started having nightmares. I had a really tough time at school. I was the only black girl, and I was bullied and subjected to racism' (pictured with Kelly Holmes and her daughter Miquita in 2023)
Andi is best known for her appearances on the hit BBC cooking show, Great British Menu. She is also the author of the successful cookbook, The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table, published in 2023
The TV chef added Mounjaro silenced the food noise as the 'cacophony' of "Shall I? Shan't I?" quietened, noting it was 'a magical, beautiful, liberating thing'.
Wearing her signature, black-rimmed glasses, Andi cut a confident picture in tailored suits as she posed for the magazine's March issue alongside her daughter, Miquita Oliver.
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The cookbook author said the reason she opened up about using Mounjaro was to try to dispel some of the stigma associated with it, as she admitted 'being overweight can be isolating'.
She added that she stopped using the 'miracle' weight loss drug after six months because 'there's a limit to how skinny I want to be'.
Last year, Andi - who was among the frontrunners to replace former MasterChef judge John Torode - said beauty standards are 'a load of b******s' while reflecting on how critical voices matter less as you get older.
‘That’s one of the good things about getting older,’ she explained.
‘Because when you're younger, the whole world is shouting at you, and you're like, "oh my God", trying to fit in, and you can't make it work.
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Andi's latest interview comes after she showed off her slimmer figure and credited the 'magical' weight loss jab Mounjaro for helping her lose five stone
'Your bum’s too big, your legs are too short, and you feel like you're not quite matching up. Then the older you get, the less you care about those noises and those voices.’
The musician also said that she was weighing up getting a scalp tattoo in an interview with the lifestyle magazine.
‘Because I've got a shaved head, I think it would look really good - I’d have it from here, right to the nape of my neck.’
However, she confessed, 'I'm a wuss' and decided against the body art because 'I bet it really hurts'.
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The latest issue of Good Housekeeping is out now.