Imran Khan has finally confirmed whispers about his secret marriage to a former BBC weather girl, just days after his family said he had denied it – provoking a furious reaction from his sister.
The 62-year-old Pakistan cricketer-turned-politician, who divorced heiress Jemima Goldsmith in 2004, has wed 41-year-old divorced mother-of-three Reham Khan.
Mysteriousy on New Year’s Eve, Mr Khan had dismissed rumours of marriage saying that they were ‘greatly exaggerated’. His sister Aleema had spoken to the press and said the family challenged him ‘a few days ago’ over the news and he had categorically denied it.
Speaking to reporters at Heathrow airport on Monday 5th January before boarding a flight, Khan is reported to have said: ‘I am going to Pakistan to share good news about my marriage with the nation. I have nothing to hide.’
When Mr Khan’s sister was informed that her brother had revealed he was actually married, Aleema Khan (according to media sources) said: ‘Really? Really? Let’s see if he announces it officially. I am taken aback. This is a real challenge for him. We haven’t met her and I don’t know that we want to meet her.’
Aleema Khan said that she was concerned about his children and that: ‘I suppose in any situation like this the children will not feel good about it. They do look up to their father.’
She added that she’s keen to see how Pakistan’s public respond to the news.
Ms Khan, a divorced mother-of-three, was formerly a BBC weather girl and married to a doctor, but now works as a news anchor of an Asian TV news channel.
News of the union in Pakistan has been vastly negative causing outrage, with online abusers setting up Facebook hate pages attacking the TV news anchor.
Ms Khan is being accused of being a lesbian while other internet trolls have attempted to shame her for wearing short skirts, partying and dancing in clubs, and even claim to be in possession of topless pictures.
One image seemingly shows Ms Khan in a sex shop wearing a pink nightdress, suspenders with a collar around her neck and a whip slung over her shoulder.
Imran’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith revealed in October 2014 that she was ditching the surname ‘Khan’ and reverting to her family name because her ex-husband was about to remarry. Imran married Ms Goldsmith in a traditional Islamic ceremony in Paris in 1995. She had converted to Islam prior to their wedding and had learned Urdu and started to wear traditional Pakistani clothes.
