Nadiya Jamir Hussain was crowned the winner of the United Kingdom's most popular TV baking competition, the BBC's Great British Bake Off, in front of a record-breaking audience of over 14 million viewers last week.
However, Hussain's victory was considered much greater than just that of any of the show's previous winners, as she, a headscarf-wearing Mulsim woman of Bangladeshi origin, was widely celebrated as a stereotype-shattering symbol of success for Muslims and immigrants throughout the whole season.
Hussain, who was a favorite for viewers from early on due to her honest self-deprecation, humility and charming facial expressions, became a British celebrity hailed as the ultimate representation of inclusive diversity.
She was called an "inspiration to British Muslims" by the president of the Muslim Association of Britain and the "first British woman who wears a hijab to have occupied such a positive, joyous role in British mass culture" by the Guardian's Charlotte Higgins .
The 30-year-old mother of three won the Bake Off crown by making a wedding cake decorated with jewels from her wedding day and a sari in the blue, red and white of Britain's flag, perfectly exemplifying her status as a face of modern Britain.
"I'm never going to put boundaries on myself ever again. I'm never going to say I can't do it. I'm never going to say maybe. I'm never going to say I don't think I can. I can and I will," Hussain said after receiving her trophy.
"That an Asian Muslim woman in a headscarf can win a thoroughly British competition proves that 'Britishness' is a broader and more open concept than some would like us to think. It proves that Britain is not limited by homogeneity but strengthened by diversity," The Guardian's Remona Aly wrote after her triumph.
Not all of the reactions were positive however, as some were quick to accuse the BBC of choosing a winner just for the sake of political correctness. The Daily Mail's Amanda Platell wrote that contestant Flora Shedden didn't have a chance with her chocolate carousel in the semifinals but "if she'd made a chocolate mosque, she'd have stood a better chance".
Despite all of the negativity and Hussain's own self-doubt, her large army of loyal fans, which include her 69,000 Twitter followers, have shown her massive support online both before and after she won.
They have time and again defended her and stood by her against the racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic prejudices, highlighting her incredible talent and not her race or religion as the reason behind her success.