Saira Khan

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Saira Khan (born 1970, Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England) was the runner-up on the first series of The Apprentice in Great Britain. She is now a TV presenter on BBC's Temper Your Temper and Desi DNA while hosting her own programme Beat the Boss. She is a columnist for the Daily Mirror, a regular panelist for Radio 5 Live and has appeared on a number of other stations including BBC Radio 4 and the BBC Asian Network. She is also an author. In 2006 she set up a new campaign called OUR SAY [1] to campaign for local and national referendums on issues of major public interest.

[edit] Parents and her early life

Her parents emigrated from Kashmir to England in 1965 hoping to build a better life, her father Jan Mohammed had trained as a doctor in Kashmir but had to work in lace factories because his qualifications were not recognised in the United Kingdom.

She grew up feeling that her father was overly strict and wanted to fit into British society - "My childhood was quite painful at times. I really just wanted to be a part of British society. At home I ate different food to the meals my English friends ate and watched Bollywood films while my friends were going to the cinema. I would have loved to have had sausages and baked beans at home, or get my dad to go to the pub and drink cider, but that was never going to be.".

At home they spoke only Urdu and Bhari with her mother not speaking any English. Her parents were eager for her to have an arranged marriage - "My parents were from an arranged marriage and wanted the same for me. My mother would invite young men to the house and get me to serve them tea on a tray. I didn't fancy any of them. It was just like East Is East.".

Saira went to Brighton Polytechnic and then on to Nottingham University - "I had boyfriends at university but my parents never knew about them. I was sensitive towards my religion and culture.".

Her father died from a heart attack in 1998 while visiting relatives in Kashmir - "I was absolutely devastated. For the first time I felt really alone.".

[edit] Marriage

While working at United Biscuits in 2002 she met the man who later was to be her husband Steve (a Christian) - "I knew instantly that Steve was the one," says Saira. "I had a mental tick list of what I wanted in a person. It was never about the looks. He was careerminded and I never wanted to be hanging around with a lazy slob. Keeping fit was a big part of his life, and mine, and he liked a hot curry. He ticked all my boxes.". Her mother however was initially opposed to the union - "I never introduced Steve as a boyfriend. She was furious at first but she's come round. I was the first girl in my family to marry outside the culture."

They live together in West London and she hopes to have a large family.-

[edit] External links

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