Nadiya Hussain has weighed in on the ongoing conversation surrounding the death of American political activist Charlie Kirk, following his death at the age of 31.
On Wednesday, Mr Kirk died after being shot in the neck during an event at a university in Utah. The manhunt for the shooter remains ongoing.
Mr Kirk was rushed to the hospital after sustaining a single gunshot to his neck.
The co-founder and president of the right-wing student group Turning Point USA was pronounced dead at the local hospital hours later. President Donald Trump announced the news of his death on Truth Social.
Tributes from far and wide have flooded in ever since. Both President Trump and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have condemned the killing.
Utah's Governor warned Mr Kirk's killing was a "political assassination", while Reform UK's Nigel Farage also lauded Mr Kirk for his work during his life.
In the showbiz world, the likes of Chris Pratt, Piers Morgan, and Jimmy Kimmel have all also condemned the shooting of Mr Kirk. Jeremy Clarkson claimed the shooting has made him "frightened" to be a newspaper columnist.
However, former BBC regular Ms Hussain bucked the trend. Instead, the chef, whose shows included Nadiya's British Food Adventure, Nadiya’s Everyday Baking, and Nadiya's Everyday Spices, posted a series of strongly-worded social media posts less than 24 hours after Mr Kirk's death.
Nadiya Hussain was the face of a number of BBC cooking shows | BBCSince her exit from the BBC, which Ms Hussain has put down to her “no longer fitting that space anymore”, the Bake Off finalist has been vocal on several political issues, particularly the war in Gaza.
No longer bound by BBC impartiality rules, Ms Hussain has now hit out at the reaction to Mr Kirk's death, reposting a series of incendiary statements that criticise Mr Kirk for his pro-Israeli support while he was alive.
In the first of two statements on Instagram, Ms Hussain endorsed the message: "Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political 'activist' was shot in the neck today and died. The internet screams, 'graphic', 'unwatchable', 'unimaginable terror'.
"For two years, Gaza has lived through horrors that no words can hold. Children carrying other children in bloodied backpacks.
LATEST CHARLIE KIRK DEVELOPMENTS:
Charlie Kirk was speaking at a campus event in Utah when he was killed | REUTERS"Bodies torn apart in buildings, shreds hanging. Brains on the floor. Burns too horrific to imagine. Horror upon horror. And this is what's 'too graphic'?
"A man who was a vocal Islamophobe and bigot who glorified violence. He celebrated shootings, cheered on aggression, and thrived on spreading hate. His life was a platform for division and fear.
"But here's the question we can't ignore: why is it that when white men die, the world mourns, and when 20,000 children do, silence fills the streets?"
She followed this up with another post shared from a different account. This time, the message read: "If the last two years have shown us anything, it is that empathy cannot be forced and who it is extended to can be chosen.
Nadiya Hussain made her feelings on Charlie Kirk's death clear
|"To those who have spent the last two years silent but are now shouting that people are unempathetic to Charlie Kirk, it's not a lack of empathy, but simply selective empathy. Surely you are familiar with it, no?"
Ms Hussain reposted the statements to her Instagram stories, meaning her followers were unable to comment on the posts.
However, the original posters' followers were able to comment on the statements and those who shared them, with several slamming the sentiment held by Ms Hussain and others.
"A guy that spoke and debated for the sake of preventing violence has been murdered and instead of paying any ounce of respect you try to tie him being assassinated to deaths in gaza. Embarrassing," one critic penned.
Nadiya Hussain shared the statements on her Instagram stories
|A second echoed: "I'm sorry but I think this is in really poor taste. I'm a heavy supporter of Palestine. I post daily. I don't think anyone deserves to die. No matter their opinions, who they are or what they stand for."
And a third added: "There are many people who have mourned for both, I am one of them. Show respect to the man who just died instead of using it as an opportunity to be divisive."
"This is your response to a guy getting murdered on a college campus? Get a grip. You don’t have to agree with him, but you don’t murder somebody for sharing their opinions and engaging in debate. Gross," a fourth concurred.
The former Bake Off star has made no secret that she plans to use her social media platforms to voice her political opinions, no matter how divisive, now that she's no longer at the BBC.
The statements Nadiya Hussain shared were met by furious reactions
|Speaking about her departure in a podcast appearance back in July, Ms Hussain claimed: "To be fair, I’m not comfortable in boxes anyway. I prefer a glass ceiling to smash through, thank you very much.
"But I suppose there’s no space for me and and and I’m kind of alright with that.
"I think I’m going to be the truest, most honest version of myself, entirely unfiltered, with no management, nobody to tell me what I can do, can’t do, can say, can’t say.
"And only then will I know what space the industry has for me.
"But I’m not holding out for the industry to accept me because that’s what I’ve done my whole life. I will figure it out and I will find a space where I’m welcome."
Ms Hussain had worked for the BBC for 10 years before her departure. A BBC spokesperson at the time said: "After several wonderful series, we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment."