Beloved television chef Parveen Ashraf is gradually easing back into her career following the tragic loss of her husband during a robbery.
Ashraf—known as “Parveen the Spice Queen”—opened up about the “personal tragedy” in a recent Instagram post, telling fans she knows husband Qamar Ashraf wouldn’t want her to “wallow in self-pity.”
“I’ve been away for some time, probably about a year, and I wanted to reach out and express that I believe I’m ready to return to work, whatever form that may take,” she shared. “Though I’m not entirely sure just yet.”
The 61-year-old culinary star, known for hosting the ITV program Parveen’s Indian Kitchen since 2019, elaborated on her decision to step back into the spotlight.
“I experienced a personal tragedy, losing my husband about six months ago,” she revealed. “Those who have faced a similar loss understand the profound pain, but I feel he wouldn’t want me to be consumed by sorrow, so I’m determined to return to work.”
In a caption accompanying her announcement, Ashraf noted that this message represented her “first step” towards reconnecting with her public life amidst her grief.
“The pain of losing someone you love is all consuming and it’s easy to just let the grief take over,” she wrote, “however for the sake of my own sanity, I am hoping to get back to work soon.”
Ashraf first shared her husband’s tragic fate in a Dec. 12 Facebook post, describing her family as “heartbroken” by the death.
“My husband of 38 years and the father of my 3 children was taken from us tragically and suddenly a few weeks ago,” she wrote. “He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed during a robbery in Ghana.”
She described her husband as a “unique, intelligent, handsome, complicated, deep quiet man with a dry sense of humour and powerful aura.”
In a follow up post on Instagram, Ashraf thanked her fans for their support and shared a carousel of images of the couple enjoying life together, starting with a wedding photo.
“I left my parents home and followed him to London,” she captioned the post. “He got a contract in Leeds, so I and my 2 toddlers followed him.”
She continued to follow him as he moved to Peterborough and then Ghana.
“Now he is in a different realm and I will follow him there too,” she said. “Rest in peace my darling handsome, stubborn, whitty (sic), intelligent husband.”