The much-awaited podcast by Danya Mohammed teased in Dubai Bling’s Season 3 has finally dropped.
After showing a glimpse of the podcast in the show, fans were quite eager for Diva Dee to publish the podcast that featured Zeina Khoury and Farhana Bodi, who at the time of recording were reconciling after feuding.
And in this particular podcast, Farhana, known for bringing some extra bits in fashion and for her very authentic Birkins, got real real about her life before all the bling.
Through the seasons, Farhana revealed that she wasn’t born with a silver spoon. Much of her success comes from her years of pushing herself to work hard, juggling multiple jobs in London, and her struggles as a single mother.
In the podcast, she began by talking about her upbringing: “So, I grew up with a very close-nit humble Muslim family. A very conservative family of five sisters and one brother. We’re scattered all over the world.”
As she talked about her family’s whereabouts, the Dubai Bling fashionista started to relay how her family survived amidst humble beginnings. “To be honest my childhood was not easy. We grew up with quite a similar story like Zeina’s, like from a very humble background.”
“My dad worked, my mom worked, even my eldest sister worked to support us,” she said.
While beginning to tear up, she talked about her sister, who became a role model for her, and how she’s one of the many reasons why she’s all about women’s empowerment. “‘Cuz I’ve seen what we went through, my sister sacrificed a lot to work and do things for us.”
As the podcast went on, Farhana said she began working at a very young age. “I worked at a very early age, even when I was in school I had to rake part-time,” she said. Continuing her story, she mentioned, “I worked so I could get pocket money. I used to work in fabric shops and accessory shops— I did like a lot of work.”
Achieving her dreams and where she is now, wasn’t easy. After moving to London from South Africa to pursue her passion, and “make it big”, she mentioned that she had to work jobs like waitressing.
But because of her fervour (which we saw since season 1), she pushed herself to the limits as much as possible. “I joined a makeup school because I was very passionate about fashion and makeup. I worked with really great brands,” she quipped to Danya.
Talking about her struggles with her family, she said, “My family, they’re quite a conservative bunch, and my dream was London *sniffles*. So, they were completely against it. It went to a point that my dad said, ‘You want to go? Do it on your own, we’re not going to support you.’ So, I went I worked I saved money, and eventually I bought my own ticket.”
“But going to London for the first time it’s such an experience I didn’t know where I was going to work,” she remarked on her journey.
Looking back at her beginnings, she talked about how she started in London, “I made some new friends from South Africa obviously. I had connections here and there I rented an apartment with like four other girls.”
However, despite the rough road to achieving her dreams, she loved London just as much. “London really made me the woman who I am today. Because you do everything on your own and it makes you independent. Especially when you have no family there.”
Of course, now that she’s a resident baddie and girl boss, she mentioned that this experience made her the independent and powerful woman she is. She said to her fellow cast mate, “I’m glad that I got that opportunity because it made me so independent that I don’t have to rely on anyone I can literally do everything on my own.”
Fans of Farhana will know how much the Birkin fiasco affected her. She said that the situation really hurt her because she knew how much she struggled to get that far. “It really hurt me, because I worked so hard and hustled to reach where I am.”
But despite that, the podcast showed her vulnerable side and surely enough, both Zeina and Farhana became more understanding of each other.
Who is Dubai Bling’s Farhana Bodi? Find out more here.