Nigella Lawson says letting cameras into her home made her feel 'consumed by others' 

Domestic goddess and TV chef Nigella Lawson admits letting cameras into her house made her feel ‘consumed by others’.

The celebrity cook’s home kitchen in west London was the backdrop for her breakthrough series, Channel 4’s Nigella Bites in 1999, before purpose-built sets, designed to resemble the same room, were made for her subsequent shows on the BBC.

A number of personal possessions were used in the studios to try and add a more authentic touch.

But Nigella admits she holds some regrets over those first few episodes in her own home.

The celebrity cook’s home kitchen in west London was the backdrop for her breakthrough series, Channel 4’s Nigella Bites in 1999

She told The New Yorker magazine: ‘I find the blurring of private and public slightly difficult. You could say I did bring it on myself: when I started doing TV, I shot the TV programmes in my home. 

‘At that time in my life, it never seemed to me that I was invading my own privacy by having cameras in the house. It seemed OK, because it doesn’t feel like that when you’re shooting.

‘Then, when it airs, and you’re the person on camera, it feels like you’re being consumed by others. It’s an alienating feeling.’ 

It comes after the TV chef said she felt ‘distracted and dazed’ during the nationwide shutdown last March and laughed about how her postman has ‘never seen me dressed’.

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show in November, the cook admitted it was only the second time she’d worn shoes since the first lockdown began.

Nigella said: ‘I felt a bit distracted and dazed at the beginning – it was quite odd, but I had a book to write so I was busy.

‘I was completely isolated, I didn’t see anyone or go anywhere, but I liked it.’

When asked if she went a little feral, Nigella said: ‘I am always a bit feral – this is only the second time I have worn shoes since March!

‘I got up early and went to bed early. I rather liked it.’

Nigella admitted that, because she has been working from home since she was 27, she hasn’t got dressed ‘for decades’ unless she is working.

Nigella, pictured, said: ‘It feels like you’re being consumed by others. It’s an alienating feeling’

She said: ‘Actually I’ve worked from home since I was 27, so I’ve not got dressed for decades unless I am working, so I have many all in one romper suits.

‘I’ve actually just been looking at Christmas pyjamas to wear in the daytime. My postman has never seen me dressed!’

The month prior, Nigella released her new book Cook Eat Repeat which combines recipes with narrative essays about food.

The chef said: ‘I wanted to write about what a recipe is and how people both understand or misunderstand what cooking is and I wanted to say that food has this amazing power to change the tenor of the day.

‘During lockdown the evening meal became a huge focus for many people – it gave a structured distraction.’