Showbiz Arabia: chasing Amy

We were totally glued to Heya w Howa 2, MBC's hit reality series that followed the lives of a young Egyptian couple and their friends (if you didn't watch it on TV, head to shahid.mbc.net to catch up now). But while Nayrouz Abouzid and Shady Hamza were the programme's lead characters, there's no doubt that it was one of Nayrouz's best friends that transformed the show into a must-watch.

As soon as she hit the screens, viewers fell in love with Amy Mowafi, a bubbly, 30-something British-Egyptian, who brought plenty of entertainment to every episode. She was funny, honest, and fans have pointed out that unlike Nayrouz and Aya, Amy wasn't afraid to reveal her true emotions on camera.

But Amy was already a bit of a celebrity in her home country before Heya w Howa 2 kicked off. She's the author of one of Egypt's bestselling English books, Fe-mail: The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Good Egyptian Girl (a must read if you are from a half Western/half Arab background!), a successful columnist and has even hosted TV shows.

Could it be that Amy's popularity was what led to the girls falling out at the end of the season (in the last few episodes, Nayrouz and Aya froze out Amy from the group)? Perhaps, but while Amy refuses to speculate, it is apparent that even after the cameras stopped rolling, they are still yet to patch things up. But the star has bigger things on her mind at the moment.

tabloid! caught up with her to find out more.

How did your participation in Heya w Howa 2 come about?

Nayrouz and Shady had been short-listed for the show and the producers asked to be introduced to some of their friends. So one afternoon I get a call from Nayrouz asking me to come round to her place and meet these TV people. I went round, talked too much, smoked too much and made a general fool of myself. The rest is, well, reality TV.

Tell us a bit more about your background. What made you move to Egypt and set up a business there?

I moved to Cairo alone straight after graduating from the University of Bath in the UK in 2002. I'd never lived in Egypt but I harboured all these ridiculously idealistic and romantic notions of the "motherland" and was desperate to try it out. Of course, in my head my life was going to end up resembling some sort of Noel Barber novel. Instead I ended up working at this glossy glam publication [Engima magazine], and doing my masters at the American University in Cairo. And I loved every minute it.

The rest of my family moved to Cairo around 2008 and my three brothers and I only started working together on our digital media business (MO4) in 2011.

What was your life like growing up? Did you ever find it hard being a teenager growing up with Western/Eastern values?

I actually grew up in Surrey, far from the madding London Arab crowds. Looking back it was all quite surreal because there I was the only frizzy-haired girl at this very Harry Potter-style girls' school, all prim and proper, and then home is this bustling, ballsy and mad wonderful Egyptian house. My mum was actually born in the UK and my father had lived in Europe most his life, yet we were always taught to take great pride in being Egyptian first and foremost.

I think my parents managed to instil in us a great mix between East and West. They are liberal and afforded us a great amount of freedom, but at the same time, as Muslims, there were certain red lines we were taught were not for crossing. But of course when you're a teenager, and your core values aren't necessarily the same as those you're surrounded by, finding a balance for yourself can be challenging.

Was it hard adjusting to life in Egypt when you returned?

Actually, between Enigma magazine and the AUC, I was cushioned from the usual culture shock. I landed on my high heels.

Back to the show, did you ever think you wouldn't be talking by the end of the season? Are you guys friends again now?

Never in a million years did I think I'd ever stop talking to my best friends. Like I said repeatedly in the show, as far as I'm concerned, 10 years of friendship is like a marriage and that's not something one ought to give up without one hell of a fight. I harbour hope that, whatever the reasons for all this craziness, time will heal. And in meantime, I wish them both — and of course Shady — the very best. All three are hugely talented, strong and smart young Egyptians and I know they'll do great things.

Are you excited about being a mum?

Actually, I may just pop before this interview even runs! I'm excited, apprehensive, and as with most things in my life, completely and utterly unprepared.

You were obsessed with the make-up brand Rimmel in the show — are you a brand ambassador?

Actually no I'm not a brand ambassador, but when it comes to fashion and beauty, there's a part of me that will always be a "London girl", and so those eccentric crazy colours that only they know how to pull off are right up my alley.

Your brothers, who also appear on Heya w Howa 2, have made more than a few female fans.

[Laughs] It bewilders me how we all shared the same womb and yet they managed to nab all best genes. Right now Adam, who is the entrepreneurial brains behind our entire operation, is in a relationship with a gorgeous, smart, hugely ambitious girl whom I love to bits. Waleed, who is terribly intense, irreverent and hilarious, is also in a relationship, but to quote Facebook it's "complicated". Meanwhile, Timmy, the baby of the bunch, is wild, eccentric, witty and for now single.

Despite coming from the UK, how come you and your brothers all had different English accents on the show?

Because we're all just faking it. MBC taught us how to speak English so that we'd give the show a little bit of an international vibe. I actually have no idea what the different accents are about!

You're also a successful businesswoman - tell us about your recent projects.

It's such an exciting time to be working online in Egypt and our digital company MO4 is constantly putting out new projects. We do digital marketing and social media management for some really great local and international brands. I'm still a print girl at heart.

And what else do you have coming up for you?

Other than all the MO4 stuff, I'm still writing my Fe-mail column on the back page of Enigma magazine, as well as celebrity cover features. Writing will always be my first passion.