It seems Imran Khan’s decision to remarry hasn’t exactly gone down well with all his backers as Jemima Khan, who got divorced from the cricket legend 10 years ago, has disclosed her intention, albeit reluctant, to do away with her surname, the Daily Mail reported.
“My ex-husband, Imran, recently announced that he intended to get remarried soon, which made me think it’s probably time to change my name back to Goldsmith,” said the 40-year-old daughter of the late billionaire Sir James Goldsmith and his widow, Lady Annabel.
Imran and Jemima seen together during their marriage. PHOTO: AFP
Earlier this year, it was reported that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief is under immense pressure from his family members to get married in the near future, family sources have revealed. According to the sources, Imran’s sisters in particular were very insistent that he get married in a bid to avoid personal vilification.
Imran, who is currently staging a sit-in in Islamabad against the PML-N government, only fuelled the rumours when he announced that he would get married as soon as his ‘Naya Pakistan’ came into being.
Jemima, who has two sons with Imran, seems particularly sad about the switch. ‘I’ve been Khan for as long as I was Goldsmith and I last used my maiden name when I was a child (OK, 21),” she writes in the New Statesman magazine.
“I quite like that my name represents my “Juslim” identity (Jemima being Jewish, Khan Muslim-ish).”
Heiress Jemima converted to Islam before marrying Imran in a traditional Muslim ceremony in Paris at the age of 21. The couple said their marriage collapsed because it was “difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan”.
Jemima went on to have a three-year relationship with actor Hugh Grant and more recently controversial comedian Russell Brand.
Jemima Khan seen with comedian Russell Brand. PHOTO: AFP
‘I kept “Khan” originally as my children felt strongly about it, but now they’re grown up they don’t seem to care,’ she says.