Kamaliya Zahoor, wife of Kyiv Post publisher, gives birth to twin girls

Singer-actress Kamaliya, the wife of Kyiv Post publisher Mohammad Zahoor, gave birth on Sept. 6 to twin girls in Kyiv.

Zahoor, the former steel magnate who now owns valuable real estate, media and other holdings through his ISTIL Group, announced the births late last night in text and other messages to family, friends and associates.

“We are the proud parents of twin baby girls Arabella and Merabella, born 9:24 and 9:34 p.m. today. Soooo happy. Zahoor & Kamaliya.”

The children are the first for the couple, who have been married 10 years. Zahoor, a United Kingdom citizen from Pakistan who first came to Ukraine in 1974, has two adult children, Arman and Tanya, from a previous marriage.

The births come at a typically busy time for the couple. They are starring in a nine-episode reality show called “Meet the Russians” that premieres Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. on United Kingdom’s FOX entertainment channel. The Times of London reported on Sept. 2 that the series will focus on 12 “Russian” couples, including the “blonde and blingy” Kamaliya, a native of Russia who nevertheless considers Kyiv her hometown. She was born Natalia Shmarenkova in 1977.

They were the subjects of an extensive profile in the prestigious German magazine Der Spiegel in August. In the story, headlined “Oligarch wants to make wife next Gaga,” Philipp Oehmke writes: “She combines traditional opera singing with dance pop, which can take some getting used to for Western European ears. She also won the Mrs. World pageant in 2008 and appeared in a film with Sharon Stone, although the movie hasn’t been released. Zahoor sees a great deal of potential here. He has finally found something worthwhile to do with his money.”

The movie with Sharon Stone is called “What About Love,” according to the movie site IMDb, and is scheduled for release next year. Her other film credits include the action film “Officer Down ” this year, “Mantera” in 2012 and the comedy “My Husband’s Widow” in 2010.

Her hit singles include “Crazy In My Heart,” “Rising Up,” and “Butterflies,” and she is also famous for singing duets with Russian pop star Philipp Kirkorov.

Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at bonner@kyivpost.com.