Haifa Wehbe (Arabic: هيفا وهبي or هيفاء وهبي Lebanese pronunciation: [ˈhajfa ˈwehbe]; born March 10, 1974) is a Lebanese singer and actress who rose to fame in the Arab world as runner up in Miss Lebanon and later through the release of her debut album Houwa El-Zaman (Arabic: هو الزمن) in 2002. She is known through her music for her beauty, showmanship, sex appeal, provocative mannerisms and image. She has released four studio albums and made her acting debut in 2008 Pepsi-produced film Sea of Stars. Wehbe is one of the most notable singers in the Arab World and is considered one of the most successful Lebanese singers. In 2006, she was on People Magazine's 50 most beautiful people list.
Wehbe was born in Mahrouna,[2] a small farming town in Lebanon. Her Lebanese father Nadim Antar and an Egyptian mother from Al Mansoura. Wehbe won the title of Miss South Lebanon at the age of sixteen and was a runner-up at the Miss Lebanon competition.
Wehbe also made a name for herself when she starred in a music video clip for the famous Arabic crooner, George Wassouf. By 1996, she had appeared on over one hundred magazine covers.
Wehbe is a victim of parental alienation. In the 1990s, she married her cousin Nasr Fayyad when she was 18 and traveled with him to Nigeria where he worked.[13] During her pregnancy, she returned to Lebanon and separated from her now ex-husband quoting marital problems. She had a daughter whose name is Zeinab Fayyad who also was a victim of parental alienation until she became an adult and continued to refuse to have any contact with her mother, even after she herself got married to Shaaban Reda Fawaz and had a child. Wehbe's ex-husband and his mother have not allowed Wehbe any contact with Zainab. In Lebanon, it is customary that the father gets automatic full custody of the children.[14][15][16]
Wehbe has had no contact with her daughter since Zainab was one or two years old. Understandably, Wehbe tried to deny that she has ever had a daughter, but that was rebutted during her interview with Tony Khalifeh.[17]
In 2005, Wehbe announced her engagement to a Saudi businessman Tariq Al-Jaffali. After only a few weeks, she and her fiancé decided to split for personal reasons and family issues.
On June 25, 2007, Wehbe survived an accident while filming a music video for the song "Hasa Ma Bena" in Lebanon. In the video, a single engine airplane was to chase Wehbe as she drove a car. However, the airplane inadvertently hit the car, taking off the front windshield of the convertible she was driving.[18] Despite the severity of the accident, Wehbe suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
Wehbe married Egyptian businessman Ahmad Abu Husheima on April 24, 2009 in Beirut.[10] Among the guests at the wedding party were singer Anastacia,[19] Kim Kardashian,[20] Diddy, Googoosh, Samar Ibrahim, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Najwa Karam, Ragheb Alama, and Sherine.[10]
Personal life
It was announced that Wehbe and Abu Husheima had split in November 2012.
Wehbe was born in Mahrouna,[2] a small farming town in Lebanon. Her Lebanese father Nadim Antar and an Egyptian mother from Al Mansoura. Wehbe won the title of Miss South Lebanon at the age of sixteen and was a runner-up at the Miss Lebanon competition.
Wehbe also made a name for herself when she starred in a music video clip for the famous Arabic crooner, George Wassouf. By 1996, she had appeared on over one hundred magazine covers.
Wehbe is a victim of parental alienation. In the 1990s, she married her cousin Nasr Fayyad when she was 18 and traveled with him to Nigeria where he worked.[13] During her pregnancy, she returned to Lebanon and separated from her now ex-husband quoting marital problems. She had a daughter whose name is Zeinab Fayyad who also was a victim of parental alienation until she became an adult and continued to refuse to have any contact with her mother, even after she herself got married to Shaaban Reda Fawaz and had a child. Wehbe's ex-husband and his mother have not allowed Wehbe any contact with Zainab. In Lebanon, it is customary that the father gets automatic full custody of the children.[14][15][16]
Wehbe has had no contact with her daughter since Zainab was one or two years old. Understandably, Wehbe tried to deny that she has ever had a daughter, but that was rebutted during her interview with Tony Khalifeh.[17]
In 2005, Wehbe announced her engagement to a Saudi businessman Tariq Al-Jaffali. After only a few weeks, she and her fiancé decided to split for personal reasons and family issues.
On June 25, 2007, Wehbe survived an accident while filming a music video for the song "Hasa Ma Bena" in Lebanon. In the video, a single engine airplane was to chase Wehbe as she drove a car. However, the airplane inadvertently hit the car, taking off the front windshield of the convertible she was driving.[18] Despite the severity of the accident, Wehbe suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
Wehbe married Egyptian businessman Ahmad Abu Husheima on April 24, 2009 in Beirut.[10] Among the guests at the wedding party were singer Anastacia,[19] Kim Kardashian,[20] Diddy, Googoosh, Samar Ibrahim, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Najwa Karam, Ragheb Alama, and Sherine.[10]
Personal life
It was announced that Wehbe and Abu Husheima had split in November 2012.
