KUALA LUMPUR: “FOR six-and-a-half years, she sufferred from an unhappy marriage and I’ll help her assert her rights.”
Celebrity chef Datuk Redzua- wan Ismail or Chef Wan displayed his strong paternal instincts in an Instagram post last Friday, defending his television host daughter Serina’s move to file for divorce from her husband of seven years, Salahudin Ghafar.
Confirming that Serina’s marriage to Salahudin or Gavin Edward O’Luanaigh was on the rocks, he said: “Serina will undergo legal procedures to seek justice. She has endured an unhappy marriage and I feel sad for her.”
Chef Wan, however, went on, claiming that his son-in-law had allegedly failed to exercise his responsibility as a husband and failed to provide monthly allowances for Serina.
He even used profanity against his son-in-law in the post.
“I tried hard to advise him about the responsibility of providing his wife with allowances every month, but he never listened. As a result, Serina had to work extra hard to earn sufficient money for her expenses. As a father, I’m deeply saddened that she has to endure this.”
Chef Wan said he paid his ex-wife RM3,000 a month for expenses and even bought her an apartment.
“Serina deserves a lot better than this and I feel sad for her children — my grandchildren — because of their father’s uncaring ways.”
He hoped to dispel rumours surrounding Serina’s marriage with his Instagram statement.
Chef Wan praised his daughter for being strong and independent, and not asking him for gifts and money throughout her marriage and showbiz career.
It was recently reported that Serina remained tight-lipped about her marriage, and declined to comment whether she had filed for divorce.
Dispelling talk about a third party affecting her marriage, she said she and Salahudin, who is Irish, were trying to handle the matter the best way possible.
Serina and Salahudin got married on Jan 1, 2010, and have two children Tristan Tareef, 7, and Isabella Saffiya, 5.