Celebrity chef Parveen Ashraf, known to fans as Parveen the Spice Queen, has made an emotional return to social media six months after the death of her husband. The 61-year-old, who rose to prominence with ITV's Parveen's Indian Kitchen in 2019 and has since amassed almost 30,000 Instagram followers through her cooking videos and recipes, shared a heartfelt video explaining her absence.
Emotional Return to Instagram
“Hi everyone, it is Parveen the Spice Queen – but I am not even sure if I am still her,” she said in the video. “I just wanted to come on here as I've been away for a while but I wanted to come and say that I think I am ready to come back to work. But I am not even sure what [work] means yet. I had a personal tragedy and I lost my husband about six months ago.”
Reflecting on her grief, she added: “Those that have lost somebody, you will know how painful this is. I feel he wouldn't want me to wallow in self-pity so I am going to try and get back to work and posting videos and recipes.”
Husband's Tragic Death in Ghana
Ashraf had previously revealed in a Facebook post in December that her husband of 38 years, Qamar, died after being caught up in a robbery in Ghana, where he had been living. “My husband of 38 years and the father of my three children was taken from us tragically and suddenly,” she wrote. “He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed during a robbery in Ghana.”
In a separate Instagram tribute, Ashraf thanked followers for their support while sharing photographs from the couple's 38 years together. She explained she had chosen Genesis' “Follow You Follow Me” to accompany the montage because it reflected their life together.
“I always told him that wherever he was, I would follow him – and I did,” the TV star penned. “I left my parents' home and followed him to London. He got a contract in Leeds, so I and my two toddlers followed him. He got a job in Peterborough, so I moved there with my two children and one on the way. He went to Ghana and I left the UK and my two eldest children and followed him. He is now in a different realm and I will follow him there too. Rest in peace my darling handsome, stubborn, witty, intelligent husband.”
Impact and Moving Forward
Alongside her video post, Ashraf wrote: “The pain of losing someone you love is all consuming and it's easy to just let the grief take over, however for the sake of my own sanity, I am hoping to get back to work soon. Rest in peace my darling man.”
