Naga Munchetty has tried to "hide" her Asian heritage to help fit in.
Naga Munchetty
The 46-year-old TV presenter - who appeared on 'Strictly Come Dancing' in 2016 - has admitted to trying to distance herself from her Asian background during her younger years.
Naga explained: "I know what it's like to hide parts of my whole self, to play down my Asian heritage - it's difficult to acknowledge that I've done it, and hard to admit. Since I was young, I felt I needed to, so that I fitted-in more easily."
Naga first encountered racism as a seven year old, and the experience has stuck with her ever since.
She told the BBC: "I have experienced racism. You never forget the first time you hear that painful and distressing word. I was seven, when someone I thought was a friend at school, told me we could no longer hang out. They used the p-word, making clear the reason was because of the colour of my skin
"The sense of shame was overwhelming. I was told I didn't belong when up until then I assumed I did. From that moment I knew I was seen as different. That first hurt never goes away."
Naga also revealed that her parents have experienced racism in the UK.
She shared: "I grew up in south London. My dad was from Mauritius and my mum was from India. Both were nurses. They too received racial insults at work, including the p-word."
And Naga can still vividly remember trying to hide her life at home from her classmates.
She said: "I remember being paranoid about smelling of the curries my mum cooked when I was at school."