Shivi Ramoutar

After a lifetime of trying to be the 'good girl' and fit the expectations of others, the food author and TV presenter has found peace in taking her own path

- Shivi Ramoutar

Everyone wants to be liked, especially as a child finding their way in the world.

But Shivi Ramoutar says that the pressure to fit in felt even weightier when, aged six, she moved to a small village in Leicestershire, from Trinidad, via a brief stint in New York.

'The village is a beautiful place but there weren't any other nonwhite families,' recalls the TV presenter and food writer, who first found fame with an appearance on MasterChef in 2013.

'I wanted to be inconspicuous and worked at being as British as possible, but we ate different foods and my parents had stricter rules at home.

'I tried to rebel but even as a teen, my nature was to make them happy and do what was expected of me. They had made so many sacrifices to give me and my two sisters the opportunity of a better life. I didn't want to squander that chance.'