Q&A: REHAM KHAN

Reham Khan, writer, on her former husbands, populist demagogues, and today’s weather

Q. Because of the timing, the media has treated your memoir as a book about Imran Khan. What are we missing amid all the talk about “explosive revelations”?

It is a book about a woman who starts off a sheltered life unprepared for what life will throw at her, but manages to survive it all with a smile. There is the story of domestic violence and challenges of being a single parent that no one is talking about.

Q. It’s tempting to see this kind of “tellall” book as vindictive. What are your feelings about Imran today?

I’m not a vindictive person. Our break-up was not because of personal disagreements. I had a problem with the way he acted behaved as a politician and promoted corrupt people while I was his wife. I couldn’t live with it.

Q. Do you see Imran’s win as part of the global wave of “charismatic” populists (from Trump to Erdogan)?

I see it as a reflection of our society. People like James Corbyn or Bernie Saunders are not charismatic? Why, because they are not loud, aggressive womanisers? What does that say about us? It is because there is an old boys’ network putting up these men for these posts.

Q. Once upon a time, the tabloids referred to you as a “BBC weather girl.” How did that kind of belittling of your achievements affect you?

I should be flattered to be referred to as a girl in my forties. But, seriously, this is the best example of misogyny rooted in insecurity. The men in suits were replaced by friendly faces who told the weather story better. When you can’t fight women taking your jobs, you will resort to maligning them.