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Iman Abdulmajid is telling the love story she shared with music legend, David Bowie, five years after his death.
The 66-year-old former fashion model has been candid about why she wouldn’t marry again after David passed away from liver cancer in 2016.
Iman said that her daughter, Alexandria (21), once asked her if she would ever get married again, she told People magazine.
“I said, ‘No, I will not,’” Iman.
“I still feel married. Someone a few years ago referred to David as my late husband and I said, ‘No, he’s not my late husband. He’s my husband.”
The mom of two went on to say that she is reminded of the Space Oddity singer wherever she goes.
“I definitely feel his presence, especially when I look out over the glorious sunsets at our home because David loves sunsets.
“So, in that way he is ever-present. Through my memory, my love lives,” she added.
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When Iman moved to LA in 1990, she was set up on a blind date with David by a mutual friend.
“I had never intended to move there. It’s not one of my favorite places. It’s so vast but I personally believe now that was my destiny.
“My destiny was calling me to get there so I could meet David.
“David said it was love at first sight. It took me a few months, but I got there,” she said of their first encounter.
The Iman Cosmetics founder also revealed the sweet gesture that made her fall in love with him. “Early on, we were walking down the street and my shoelace came undone and he got on his knees to tie it for me, and I thought, 'he’s the one'”.
The couple wed in 1992 during in Italy.
“My attraction to her was immediate and all-encompassing,” David said in an interview with Hello Magazine. “I couldn't sleep for the excitement of our first date.
“That she would be my wife, in my head, was a done deal. I'd never gone after anything in my life with such passion in all my life. I just knew she was the one.”
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The pair, who were married for 24 years, welcomed their daughter, who is known as Lexi, in 2002.
“We've always been very close, but if it's possible we've been drawn even closer. There's a joy or a contentment that's almost palpable to both of us. Overnight, our lives have been enriched beyond belief,” Iman said about the birth of Lexi.
Life without David has been tough for the former model.
Grieving in public has been challenging, she said in a 2018 interview.
“People take pictures of me in the street, and say [touching my arm]: ‘I am so sorry for your loss.’ I’m like, 'don’t touch me'.
“You just took pictures of me, how can you be sorry? I get the fans’ grief, but it’s not the same. They have lost someone they look up to; we have lost a husband and a father.
She added: “And sometimes, I don’t want people to know how sad I am.
“People say to me, ‘Oh, you’re so strong...I’m not strong—I am just trying to keep it together.”
To deal with David’s death, Iman now enjoys outdoor activities.
“I'm such a city girl, but now I'm appreciating the country. I go hiking every day – I have this great view of mountains that changes literally every few minutes.
“David was a painter; my daughter is a painter. I never painted in my life, so I've taken it up. I learnt that I don't have to be good at something to start doing it,” she said.
Sources Hello Magazine, People, Harper’s Bazaar, Independent
