Amir Khan’s wife has suggested the boxer’s remarks on I’m A Celebrity are subjected to more intense scrutiny than other campmates.
Faryal Makhdoom, 26, was interviewed via video link on today’s This Morning, where she was asked (obviously!) about strawberry-gate and Amir’s relationship with Iain Lee.
Eamonn Holmes was particularly interested in Amir’s comments last night that Iain has a gameplan, asking Faryal if it’s possible Amir is the one with the gameplan…
She said: “I have no idea. I think Amir is the way he is. He didn’t even know he was being filmed for the first few days. I think he is the way he is, as you see on TV.
“With Iain, I obviously can’t say anything.
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“I think they both say things to each other but when Amir says it everyone catches on more, and with Iain it sometimes gets ignored.
“But I think they’re both doing great and I’m sure Iain’s family are proud of him as well.”
Faryal admitted she was gobsmacked by strawberry-gate, where Amir and Iain guzzled the camp’s strawberries and cream treat in secret, meaning nobody else got any.
“That is not something Amir would do so I was absolutely shocked,” she said.
“I had my mouth open for about two minutes.”
Faryal went on to say the only explanation she could give for Amir’s actions was the fact he was really, really hungry – or thought it was all banter.
“I guess he was really hungry. I didn’t know he liked strawberries so much so I’ll make sure I have them ready when I get home!” she said.
“Usually he’s quite sharing. At the beginning he gave his meal ticket to Stanley, and he gave chocolate to Kez. But I guess that was the beginning and hunger wasn’t getting to him.
“I don’t know if it was a bit of banter or hunger. It’s not something Amir would do.”
Faryal said she’s very proud of Amir’s time in the jungle – especially as she didn’t think he’d last long!
She said it’s been both nerve-wracking and hilarious to watch the boxer take on the Bushtucker Trials and although she felt sorry for him doing so many in a row, she found the show dull when he wasn’t taking on tasks.
As for his now-famous fear of snakes, well, she wasn’t surprised!
Faryal revealed that on their honeymoon, they arrived at one hotel where they’d booked in for four nights, but after Amir learned there were snakes in the forest nearby at night-time, they had to check out just one day later!
She confirmed she’s not in Australia because of her pregnancy; she and Amir are expecting a second child next year.
They’re already parents to daughter Lamaisah, three.
“I’m pregnant and I do feel a bit sick sometimes and I think it’s a really long flight,” she said. “Hopefully when Amir is back we can go on a shorter flight and have a holiday.”
“I’m hoping for a nice sunny holiday with no forests or snakes, then hoping next year Amir will have a good fight and in 2018 he’ll be back in the ring and doing what he does best.”
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As for her famous rocky past with Amir and his family, Faryal refused to be drawn into a discussion.
She simply said: “We’ve left everything in the past with the baby coming and we’re looking to a brighter future… I think we all make mistakes and you have to learn from them. Forget the past. If we dwell on the past, we will never move forward.”