Amir Khan's ex Faryal Makhdoom vows to teach daughter to be 'independent' woman

Amir Khan and his wife announced their split this summer

Sharnaz Shahid

Faryal Makhdoom, the pregnant estranged wife of boxer Amir Khan, has broken her silence about the recent collapse of her marriage in her first interview. Speaking to MailOnline, the 26-year-old revealed she wants to raise her three-year-old daughter, Lamaisah, to be an "independent and strong" woman who doesn't need a man to rely on. "In life you go through really hard times and realise that you come into this world alone and you leave alone," she shared. "So, I want my daughter to be an independent and strong woman."


Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom announced their split this summer

She added: "Women are just as strong as men and we are even stronger because we pop out kids, so that's why God chose us to pop the kids out. We have patience, we are mentally stronger and so sometimes the woman is the King." During a bitter Twitter exchange in August, both Faryal and Amir stunned fans when they announced their decision to divorce. At the time 30-year-old Amir accused fellow boxer Anthony Joshua of having an affair with Faryal, but he later withdrew the claims.

STORY: Faryal Makhdoom hints at the struggle of motherhood after Amir Khan split

When asked how her second pregnancy was going, Faryal confessed: "This one is much easier than the first. The first time around, I had horrible sickness even though I was eating super healthy and organic. Now I eat whatever; I was having fries at midnight last night. It [pregnancy] takes a lot out of you, but it hasn't been bad." The expectant mother tied the knot with Amir in 2013 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, it was exclusively covered in HELLO!. Their four-year marriage was then plagued with family feuds and various scandals.