AMIR KHAN’S stunning fiancée last night revealed how their relationship was
almost on the ropes when they first met – because she couldn’t understand a
word he said.
Pretty American student Faryal Makhdoom — who will exchange engagement rings
with the boxing sensation on January 29 — admitted she struggled with his
broad Bolton accent.
While touring New York’s famous landmarks with Amir and posing as a couple for
the first time, she said: “In the beginning I really couldn’t understand
him.
“I was used to London accents and thought that’s how everyone spoke in
Britain.
“But when Amir opened his mouth it was completely different. It was like he
was speaking in a foreign tongue — so I just used to nod, agree with
whatever he was talking about and say, ‘Yeah’.
“He’d say things like ‘daft’ and ‘innit’ and I had no idea what they meant.
He’d say, ‘Don’t be daft!’ — and I’d be wondering what ‘daft’ was supposed
to be!”
But she broke down the language barrier when she visited Amir’s family at
their home in Bolton and spent five days meeting his nieces, nephews and
cousins.
Faryal, 20, said: “Everything is fine with us now — my ear is tuned in. I
enjoyed my time in Bolton but it was so different to New York, especially
the streets — they looked so little.”
The lovestruck couple also revealed their marriage plans exclusively to The
Sun in their first ever interview while touring Faryal’s home city.
They will swap rings in front of 1,000 people at a lavish £150,000 engagement
party at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium.
Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ricky Hatton, David Haye and Bolton football
stars Kevin Davies and Jussi Jaaskelainen top the guest list.
Amir, 25, has already splashed out £100,000 on a ring with three diamonds,
while Faryal will present him with one that is platinum encrusted with
diamonds.
The couple’s engagement is the culmination of an incredible romance as they
only met in July last year. Petite Faryal — just 5ft 3in — has been bowled
over by messages of support from Amir’s army of fans. Speaking during a
romantic four days with Amir in the Big Apple, she said: “I get a lot of
messages from Amir’s fans and quite a few say I look like Kate Middleton.
“That’s so nice because so many people admire her. She’s also very stylish —
so it’s really very flattering for me.”
Husband-to-be Amir added: “A lot of girls back home have said to me, ‘Your
girl is beautiful’ — and that’s great because people can be so jealous.
“But Faryal is so humble. Anybody who meets her is going to fall in love with
her. She’s got no edge, she’s just a terrific person.”
Faryal — whose name means “Angel” — will fly to England on Friday for their
engagement party and spend a week here. And last night Amir pledged that
their future would be in Bolton — and promised her a few tasty local treats.
He said: “I’m going to introduce her to a pasty barm — a cheese and onion
pasty stuck inside a roll. And I’ll take her for fish and chips — maybe even
an ice cream if she’s lucky!
“We’ll also try to squeeze in a Bolton match and she’ll have to see the Reebok
before our official engagement — just to make sure she likes the venue.
“I know New York is an amazing city but our future lies in Bolton — she can’t
wait to live there!”
Faryal quipped: “I have no choice!”
The bride-to-be’s father, Shaukat, and mum Zia gave the couple a BMW 750Li as
a gift when they announced they were getting engaged — so they can get
around New York when he visits.
But yesterday the lovebirds left their wheels at her three-storey family home
on Staten Island as they went on their tour. Faryal said: “My parents are
already treating Amir like a son and one day we would like to start our own
family.
“One or two children would be fine for me. We’re very family orientated. I was
born and raised in New York but my grandparents are in Pakistan — and a lot
of my dad’s family are there.
“My college has a diverse cross-section of students — a lot from Pakistan —
and when they heard I was dating Amir, they just went, ‘Oh wow!’ They
couldn’t believe it.”
The one thing Faryal said she will never do is watch Amir fight.
She refused his offer of ring-side seats for his controversial defeat to
Lamont Peterson last month. Amir said: “She stayed in the hotel room praying
with my mother — without even the fight on TV.”
Faryal said: “I never want to watch him fight live. I just couldn’t because I
wouldn’t want to see him get hurt. After his last fight I started crying
when I saw him. I just can’t bear to see him like that and I don’t think I
ever will.”
But former Olympics silver medal winner Amir admits: “My boxing is still the
priority in my life and Faryal understands that. It’s boxing that is kind of
first for me. It’s made me what I am and it’s what I’ve worked for all my
life.”