The former presenter turner actress – Jamil plays a leading part in the universally well-received sitcom The Good Place – was told she was “too old, too ethnic and too fat” to land a job in Los Angeles.
“I was literally starting again and I was actively discouraged by everyone in England,” she told BBC Radio 5.
Jameela Jamil has spoken about how people discouraged her from heading to the US to launch a career.
“I lied in my audition. I said I’d mostly done theatre because it’s harder to track down,” Jamil said.