Growing up with divorced parents is not necessarily a bad thing, as in many cases both parents have joint custody or at least visitation rights. However, it is different for those who were raised by only one parent. Malaysian-born influencer Timur Gabriel recently appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the “Head Over Heels” podcast, hosted by Maggy Wang, to discuss her estranged relationship with her father, singer Datuk Zainal Abidin.
In the episode, the content creator revealed that, over the years, her father had made little to no attempts to build a relationship with her. “We both have each other’s numbers, but based on the experiences I’ve had with him, or lack thereof, he has no interest in me. He doesn’t call me or wish me ‘Happy Birthday’ or ‘Selamat Hari Raya’, and when we do contact, he’d ask, ‘Do you pray?'” she said.
The London- and Berlin-based internet personality went on to elaborate on how the singer has never asked her about her personal or professional life. When asked if she’d change her perspective of him if he made more effort to be a father, despite their past family issues, the TikToker replied, “If it felt genuine, and if it felt like he just wasn’t doing it for show, then I’d be more willing to have some sort of relationship with him, but he’s not doing it at all.”
During the same interview, Timur also discussed how she has never once used her father’s popularity to achieve her goals in life. “The only time I ever used his name for anything was when I needed my passport renewed ASAP. Otherwise, I never used him to gain success. I did everything from scratch,” she stated. She also added that her father’s fame as Zainal Abidin is one of the reasons she chose not to pursue a career in music, even though she inherited her singing talents from him.
This was not the first time Timur Gabriel spoke about her father. In an old, now-deleted Instagram post from 2017, she called out the veteran star for his absence and for his statement that he did not blame her for living a more Western lifestyle. “Papa said that he has never blamed me. That is incorrect. He blames me every single time he says a single bad word about my mother, to me or to anyone else. He blames me when, despite all the money he has, he only pays RM200 in child support every month,” she said.
Shortly after deleting the post, the model clarified that she didn’t mean to attack the singer in that way, saying she was just frustrated by his statement and that she had actually tried contacting him before posting, but did not receive a reply. Zainal Abidin later denied his daughter’s claims in another interview, stating that it was all a misunderstanding and that he only wished the best for all his children.
Watch a snippet of Timur’s episode on the “Head Over Heels” podcast:
Sources: Instagram (1)(2), YouTube, Gempak (1)(2), BHarian, NST
