Saira Khan: “The haters don’t scare me – I’m proud of my body”

She hit the headlines recently after receiving death threats from extremists over posting bikini selfies – but Muslim Saira Khan isn’t afraid to fight back

One holiday this summer, Saira O Khan posted pictures of herself in a bikini smiling in the sunshine. To most of us, this may not seem like a big deal, but coming from a Muslim community, the loose women the star has since endured a bitter backlash – and even death threats – for promoting body confidence.

“Some say ‘you’re not a role model, you should be ashamed of yourself,’ and it really angers me,” she explains. “You’re living in Britain, a multicultural society. It’s about women saying: ‘I can wear what I want and you shouldn’t have an opinion on that.’ Judge me as a person, not on what I wear.”

She got caught up in more controversy recently after discovering that a Muslim preacher considered it a sin for women to pluck their eyebrows. In response to this, the feisty presenter posted a picture of herself showing her bum in a bikini with the caption: “I woke up to news that a Muslim preacher is saying that plucking eyebrows for Muslim women is a sin – here’s my response – kiss my [peach emoji] you backwards prehistoric dinosaur.” Her post received a lot of attention, with one person shockingly commenting: “If you value your life, keep the f*** out of Islam.” But Saira admits that even receiving death threats hasn’t made her regret the post.

She says: “I’d love the meet the person who sent that Tweet and ask why he felt the need to send a death threat. I’m not scared and I think people who try to use religion to hate others are cowards. I’m not fuelling Islamophobia, I am standing up for people who practise my religion, who are modern and progressive and are scared to come out and say it.”

REAL WOMEN

Back in April, Saira also posed in a bikini alongside her Loose Women co-stars in an unairbrushed photo shoot to promote body confidence, which she admits was terrifying.

“These days it’s rare to see images of women’s real bodies, so we wanted to make that point,” says Saira, who’s 47. “We weren’t airbrushed, so it’s a very natural photo and it’s not perfect, which is what I love about it. Some of us are tall and thin and others are shorter and a bit bigger, but we’re all happy and relaxed. Plus you don’t see Muslim women on billboards in bikinis, so it felt important for me to say: ‘This is the body I was born with, why be ashamed of it?’”

But the mumof-two admits growing up in a household where she was expected to cover up at all times left her struggling with her self-esteem.

She adds: “Now I’m older and have kids of my own, my attitude is, if people have a problem with

She’s happy women showing their to show off arms and legs, it’s their her physique problem, not mine.”

And Saira hopes talking about it might open the door for younger women – an issue even closer to her heart as she’s mum to six-year-old Amara with her husband Steve Hyde, 51, who runs an internet company. The couple adopted Amara from an orphanage in Pakistan.

ROLE MODEL

She says: “I want to be a good role model for Amara and I don’t want her to be ashamed of her body. I try to convey to her that the most important thing is to be healthy and happy. I just want her to enjoy being a little girl.”

For Saira, who first appeared on our screens in The Apprentice in 2005, Family

is her top priority. She and Steve are also parents to nine-year-old son Zac, who was conceived through IVF after the couple struggled to get pregnant naturally. She admits that fertility treatment took its toll on her body and, after a second failed attempt at IVF, they chose to adopt.

“IVF was traumatic,” she says. “The second time it didn’t work and I knew I couldn’t go through it again – I was bloated and emotional, and all the waiting to find out whether it had worked was so stressful.” And is she tempted to add to adopt again? Saira says: “If I had the time and money. I get broody every time I see a new baby, but then I think about the sleepless nights. Never say never, though!”

STAYING YOUTHFUL

Being in the public eye, Saira is used to the pressures on celebs to fight the ageing process, but she insists cosmetic surgery isn’t for her.

She explains: “I want to do everything I can to stay as young as I can, but I’d rather make the most of what I’ve got. I have facials, manicures and pedicures, and I’ve also been having Invisalign treatment for the past 18 months to straighten my teeth, which has had an amazing impact.”

She adds: “As you get older, you learn to focus on the positives, rather than beating yourself up over your body. I’ve got stretchmarks, a bit of saggy tummy and I have dumpy legs – but who cares?”

‘Judge me as a person, not on what I wear’