Fiery TOWIE star Junaid Ahmed on heated rows, wedding plans, and proudly being the only gay Muslim on TV
He first burst onto the scenes of TOWIE in 2022 and made an impression with his loud and proud personality. After being disowned by his family for being a gay Muslim, Junaid Ahmed, 30, is still out there breaking down boundaries, and is about to take a huge step with his partner, Joe Blackman.
Junaid has had his fair share of drama. He caused shockwaves when he got together with now-boyfriend Joe, just two weeks after he split from Junaid’s frenemy, Harry Derbidge. Never afraid to speak his mind, it’s led to plenty of heated arguments and fall outs, but he insists that he doesn’t love the drama.
Junaid tells Closer, ‘I think a lot of people think I’m a bitch, a nasty person, and the truth is, I’m really not. I have a tendency to be quite fiery and to speak my mind, but I’m actually quite a relaxed person. I tend to stay away from the drama in my real life, but on TOWIE, the drama seems to follow me.’
Despite all the fireworks, Junaid says he loves being on the show and adds, ‘I’m the only gay Muslim reality star on TV! Growing up, I never saw someone with my skin colour on telly.’
While he’s proud of both his sexuality and his heritage, it’s not always been easy. His Muslim family disowned him for being gay as it was something ‘they couldn’t accept’. While Junaid says he understands their actions even though it was ‘hurtful’, he adds, ‘Hopefully one day I can get to a point with my family where we’ve got a relationship that we can maintain and move forward with.’
Meanwhile, since Junaid got in a relationship with Joe last year, things have progressed quickly. They’re moving in together and have found their dream home in Essex, but Junaid has even bigger plans.
‘I want a million-pound Bollywood-themed wedding, then we can have some kids. I’m 30 now, I’m very career driven but ideally, I would like kids in the future.’
And with his new collection with April Star jewellery, which is close to his heart, he’s on the road to becoming an entrepreneur. ‘It’s my biggest brand deal to date, it’s a five-figure deal’, he says.
‘I’ve got such big ambitions, such big dreams. I moved to Essex when I was 18 in quite unfortunate circumstances [after] being disowned by my family. I came to Essex with £3 in my bank account. I work very, very hard and I think that is what sets me apart.’
