I have been watching “The Great British Bake Off” since it arrived on American shores about 10 years ago as “The Great British Baking Show.” The baking competition was such a staple of my mid-aughts TV routine that my older daughter used to call it “cake channel” when she was in preschool.

I often describe it as a televisual sedative: The contestants are so kind to one another and so good-natured, and the predictable and gentle cadence of the show just washes over me. Even so, in all my years watching “G.B.B.O.,” with all its memorable characters, no contestant had ever won my heart the way that Nelly Ghaffar has this season.

Ghaffar is a joyful mother of two from Dorset, England, who works as a palliative care nurse, and she’s originally from Slovakia. Her English retains a charming accent, which reminded me of my Austrian oma’s. (Apparently Ghaffar studied nursing in Austria, so it tracks.)

(Warning: spoilers ahead.)

I am still thinking of her, though she was sent home on the episode that Netflix showed two weeks ago, because the show isn’t the same without her genuine warmth and good humor.

Even when things went wrong for her, Ghaffar was able to remain serene and hilarious. When one of the hosts, Noel, accidentally ruined part of her bake, she was completely unruffled and quipped, “It’s all good. If I’m going to go home, he will drive me home on posh car.”

In a world where we are surrounded by fake positivity, it’s refreshing to watch someone who is so genuinely positive, has excellent comedic timing and seems to naturally exude gratitude. A moment that will stick with me for a long time is the bake that Ghaffar dedicated to the babies she lost. She had five miscarriages, and in one of her bakes during biscuit week, these five losses were represented with decorative stars. At first, she told the BBC she wasn’t going to talk about their meaning — it was just for her and her husband, so she could show him how much she appreciated him.

But when the bake wasn’t going quite right, she got emotional and spontaneously decided to share her story. In consummate Ghaffar fashion, her ultimate message is that “you should have fun and enjoy life because life is short.” She’s earned a lifelong fan in me.