Zeina Khoury was recently on the Unscripted With Spencer Lodge, podcast where she revealed a side to her that most of us and specifically Dubai Bling viewers don’t get to see that much.
IFYKYK about Zeina Khoury, she is the epitome of luxury, fashion, and real estate on the show.
We’re obsessed with her iconic friendship with fellow castmate, Safa Siddiqui, where they label themselves as Farha and Marha. MAJOR friendship goals, btw.
Zeina does not fail to impress us with her stunning fashion sense and strong personality.
In the podcast episode, the Lebanese reality star revealed that she had to leave Lebanon due to the political unrest at the time. She was “forced” to come to the UAE to pursue real estate as it is a “booming industry”, according to her brother’s friend.
“In Lebanon, [at the time] there was no concept of real estate, people in the country buy real estate for a need, to live in, and acquire property after marriage,” Zeina added.
Before her big break in real estate and reality TV, Zeina revealed that she used to play basketball, model for makeup adverts, and interview stars on the red carpet to make money.
In her media experience, Zeina noticed that she had a natural affinity for the camera. After winning two awards for her appearances on another reality TV show and Dubai Bling, she realised that she wanted to be a part of the cast after watching Netflix’s Selling Sunset.
“One of the best things about it is that I had the opportunity to tell my story from someone who doesn’t come from money and my parents spent everything they had for us to get an education,” Zeina said.
“In telling my story, I’ve inspired a lot of people who don’t come from money and are working on their skills in which they needed a push and hope to see someone else who has made it, without having all the facilities that some people have and are privileged.”
Zeina continued to say that the show helped to boost her real estate business and gave her a level of credibility in the market.
Furthermore, Zeina said that there are several downsides to being in a show like Dubai Bling where the filming process is “intense and stressful.”
“Another thing that is wearing me down is the phrase ‘you should never meet your heroes” Zeina said, “I know people have watched the show and think of me as someone who knows everything – someone who can turn anything she touches into gold and transform $300 into millions.”
She added that it was a catchphrase that people walked away with, after the first season of the show aired and that people sent her DMs asking for her help with it.
“I’m not a magician. I went through the normal journey of working hard, saving money, and investing wisely. At times, I made bad decisions. I feel a responsibility to my fans, and I don’t want to disappoint them. However, I can offer advice based on what I’ve learned,” said Zeina.
Zeina said she tries to separate her children from the fame she had obtained from the show, as they are quite young. She revealed that someone showed her daughter a clip of the infamous fight between her, Ebraheem, and Danya in S1, which resulted in her having sleepless nights and being scared.
“I deliberately try to separate them from it but, it’s almost impossible,” Zeina added.
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