Zulekha Haywood Is Iman's Daughter Who Struggled with Diets a Lot

Former supermodel Iman Abdulmajid's eldest daughter Zulekha Haywood is all grown now. Still, she has come through many years of mentally dealing with the pressures of looking good while battling obesity.

Being a child to famous parents can come with many pressures of trying to live up to the high standards they have set.

It doesn't come any easier when your mother is a world supermodel whose face and body are regularly splashed on the covers of magazines, whereas you are an obese teen.

Many times, children of celebrity parents cave into the societal pressure attached to circumstances of their birth, which they didn't ask for in the first place. They become broken kids who require therapy in their adult life. Fortunately, this is not that type of story. Instead, it is a story of triumph, a strong black woman, and good parenting.

Zulekha Haywood Is Iman’s Daughter from Her First Marriage

Zulekha Haywood was born in 1978 to father NBA star Spencer Haywood and mother, supermodel Iman. Zulekha Haywood's father, Spencer, was a LA Lakers basketball player when he met Iman in 1977. At the time, the NBA legend was enjoying a stellar professional basketball career, and Iman had quickly risen to become one of the most sought after models in the industry.

The pair later got engaged that same year, and in 1978 the couple got married. The estranged couple welcomed their first child, daughter Zulekha that same year.

Zulekha Maintains a Close Relationship with Dad after Her Parents' Divorce

Spencer and Iman divorced in 1987, and a bitter custody battle for their only child began, which lasted for over six years. Haywood claimed the entrepreneur was an unfit mom and abandoned their daughter to pursue her "decadent interest." The NBA legend eventually lost the custody battle.

Spencer enjoyed a successful career, and in 2015, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Famer has since remarried but still maintains a good relationship with his daughter, Zulekha.

Meanwhile, Zulekha's parents have since divorced and even remarried. Iman welcomed her first child, and second daughter, Alexandria, with her second husband, David Bowie in 2000.

Despite her successful career, Iman has managed to raise two wonderful daughters with the help of their fathers. The life of children of famous parents can sometimes be challenging.

However, it falls on both parents to create an environment where their kids can grow, develop, and still feel proud of themselves despite any limitation.

Zulekha Struggled with Her Weight

In 2010, during an interview with Kathie Lee and Hoda on "TODAY," Zulekha talked about her battle with obesity, which started as a child and continued into her adult life.

Zulekha recalled how she had been on diets since she was eight and how she had also tried out every diet imaginable, but the weight kept coming back with a little extra.

Zulekha also revealed how her mom, Iman, introduced her to her first diet, "Basta." The fashion model, who was big on healthy eating, would always whisper "Basta" (which means enough in Italian) when she was overeating.

She claimed that her second diet, "Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse," was introduced to Zulekha by her father, basketball star Spencer. The routine didn't limit her quantity of food, but it involved a gruesome exercise routine that involved her training four hours a day in a tennis camp.

The results were terrific, and by the time she returned to school, she had dropped 30 pounds and could fit into skin-tight jeans.

Zulekha admits that she didn't have the discipline to watch what she was eating, or continue training four hours a day, so she packed on the pounds plus an extra 20 pounds.

As she grew older, she resolved to be comfortable in her looks and live her best life at over 300 pounds. For a long time, everything felt right, until it dawned on her that her life could be cut short by weight-related health problems.

After years of struggling with her weight and trying several diets, Zulekha finally decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery, which was successful. In the months that followed, she was able to drop to 165 pounds from about 330 pounds.

Zulekha Has a Daughter

Zulekha lives a mostly private personal life, but that does not stop her father from showing off his baby girl. Spencer often posts pictures of Zulekha, giving fans a glimpse into her life.

In June 2017, the former NBA star shared a photo of Zulekha lying on a hospital bed with some good news. She had just given birth to her daughter.

The excited grandfather tagged many prominent personalities on his post, including Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Oprah Winfrey. He captioned, "Iman and I daughter Zulekha and our granddaughter Lavinia are doing great. Thank you for your prayers and support. God is in the miracle business always."

On December 22, 2021, he posted a selfie of Zulekha and a grown Lavinia. He also hinted that Zulekha was born on July 5, when he celebrated her birthday in 2022. It seems Lavinia is already going to school as her grandfather shares a picture of her in a lovely green dress and carrying her small backpack