Those who think I married Aamir Liaquat for money and fame don't know me: Tuba Anwar

Actor Syeda Tuba Anwar, the ex-wife of late televangelist Aamir Liaquat Hussain, recently opened up about her journey from behind the camera to coming into spotlight after her marriage.

From dealing with death and rape threats to being called a golddigger and blamed for her ex-spouse’s death, Anwar shared it all in an interview with The Kult. About how she felt about her relationship with the late host becoming national news, she said that it was all very overwhelming and she didn’t know how to deal with it.

“I was getting into a relationship but I never thought about it from the public’s point of view. I was very young, and even naive, at that time and I didn’t have the right kind of exposure. I wasn’t ready for all the chaos. I didn’t even announce the news, it was leaked,” she said. “We wanted to announce the news. Not that it was a secret, but whoever gets married, it should be their decision to determine when to tell people. We were both not ready.”

Anwar’s marriage to Liaquat sparked an outrage on social media with users calling her out for using the scholar to get famous. About why she never gave clarifications and chose to keep a neutral stance on social media against the allegations levelled against her, she simply said that it was too much to take in and process.

“When it all started, I was baffled and couldn’t make sense of why people are hating me so much. I couldn’t process the abuse that I was getting. It became so worse that at one point, I started getting death threats and rape threats. Men, women, everyone was just picking on anything and everything,” she said adding that the abuse wasn’t just limited online but also offline by “people she was associated with.”

Anwar, who never thought she’d face hate on this level, opined that it’s best not to pity yourself but grow by telling yourself that you’re not defined by the negative traits people associate with you – and especially not to pay heed to people who know nothing about your life. “Everything I am today, I have worked hard for it and I won’t let people tell me otherwise,” she said.

“I am educated, young, and hail from a supportive, stable family of intellectuals. I don’t need anyone to use as a ladder. It’s a disgusting thing to say to someone. If I wasn’t capable or talented enough, then it would’ve been another thing. My father made me travel the world with him. I’ve four sisters, we’re all thriving,” she said referring to people calling her a gold digger and home wrecker.

“There was never a lack of money or love growing up. I would’ve been a gold digger if I took anything from him when leaving. I took nothing,” she exclaimed adding that all YouTube videos about her house and cars are simply “click bait.”

The Bharaas actor went on to say that another reason to stay quiet initially was because she was going through a lot in her life off camera. “There were times when for six months, I just told people, 'I don't care but I am human. It does hurt.' There are pressures of balancing our life, our homes, our families, our fans, our friends, and yet dealing with hate. I wish people stop saying negative things,” she said.

As far as trolling is concerned, Anwar reasoned that she’s not the only person who faces it. “All celebrities face it. I dont know why is that the culture, but go and look at any celebrity’s picture, whether male or female, and there will be hate.”

Concluding the topic of her wedding, she said, “If I wanted to marry for money or for televsion, I didnt have to get married in real life. It wouldve happened other ways too. My dignity matters to me and I chose that person in that time. When you share food and your life with someone, you have to keep their respect intact. Adnd that’s what I did. I never wanted to be consumed with that hate for anyone.”

About the stigma attached to divorce, Anwar agreed that it was the most difficult decision she ever had to take. “When I look back, I was very weak. I was suffering mentally and did not have the power to take a decision that could possibly leave me with a stigma for life. When you get married, you decide that you'll spend your life with them. You’re attached to the person, so the separation gets very painful. It’s a very difficult decision. It was never easy,” she ended the conversation.