Wikipedia

Nighat Arif

Nighat Arif (born 9 February 1984) is a broadcaster from Chesham. Born in Village 38 in Punjab, Pakistan, she moved to the UK aged nine, and became a doctor to stave off an arranged marriage, taking a post at a practice in Chesham. She began making appearances on television in May 2019 while on maternity leave, and later became the resident doctor for BBC Breakfast and ITV's This Morning and made four appearances in Countdown's Dictionary Corner in April 2024; her TikTok account had nearly half a million followers in August 2023. She published a medical guide, The Knowledge, in 2023.

Nighat Arif
Born9 February 1984
Village 38, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Doctor
  • broadcaster
  • writer

Early life edit

Arif was born on 9 February 1984[1] in Punjab, Pakistan in Village 38, on the grounds that when British colonisers were in her country, they had not bothered to name any of her villages;[2]: 15:00  she moved to the UK aged nine with her mother,[3] and arrived in April 1993.[4] She speaks Punjabi as a first language,[5]: 14:30  taught herself English by watching EastEnders, and was the first in her family to speak the language.[3] Her father, Arif Hussain,[6] moved to the UK at the end of 1984,[7] was the Imam for Chesham Mosque, and was made a Member of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year Honours;[8] her uncles, cousins, and grandfathers were subsidy farmers.[2]: 15:00  She became a doctor to stave off of an arranged marriage, on the grounds that education was the one pathway her parents would not object to; she became a doctor after her careers' advisor told her that veterinary was the longest such pathway and deciding that animals were not for her.[2]: 15:00  She later took a post as a doctor in Chesham.[9]

Media career edit

Arif first appeared on television in May 2019, when BBC Breakfast dedicated a week of programmes to talking openly about menopause. At the time, Arif was on maternity leave and was breastfeeding, and agreed to appear on the programme after the programme's planning editor gave her an offer of having her makeup done; she then made numerous appearances as that programme's resident GP as well as on ITV's This Morning, and hosted BBC Three Counties Radio's Sunday Breakfast Show.[10] Arif appeared on Countdown in April 2024, making four appearances;[11]: 33:46  while on the programme, she received racist abuse, prompting the production team to verify her wellbeing.[12]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Arif began uploading content to her TikTok account, on the grounds that she could disperse information quickly,[11]: 14:48  having been inspired to do so by her patients.[3] When she received her COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021, she uploaded a video to that effect in Urdu;[13] a video of her receiving the vaccine went viral online, and had been viewed by over 100,000 people by March 2021.[14] In August 2023, the Times noted that she "often subtitles or narrates her posts about female health in Punjabi and Urdu", languages for which the only words for menopause translate to "barren" and "off the rag",[15] and later that month the I wrote that she had nearly half a million followers on the platform.[4]

The Knowledge edit

She published a book, The Knowledge, in 2023, detailing her knowledge about women's health,[3] with the intention of tackling a number of myths she had encountered; she told the 10 April 2024 edition of Countdown that she was inspired to write it after being told by an older lady in her mosque suffering from symptoms that only "white women get menopause".[16] The book makes uses of coloured backgrounds to aid neurodiverse people, a decision inspired by her own dyslexia, and includes content on trans health and LGBT issues and lifelike diagrams of both brown and black bodies;[3] the I suggested in August 2023 that the book contained the first published images of lichen sclerosus on non-white skin, and opined that the book "blends her no-nonsense, stigma-busting approach with her cultural awareness, her characteristic warmth, and her clinical expertise" and "addresses patients as equals, equipping them with the knowledge, tools and advice they need to best manage their reproductive health, without patronising or talking down to them".[4]

Personal life and views edit

Arif told the 9 April 2024 edition of Countdown that she had been married for 17 years and that her husband, from Village 42, had been introduced to her three years earlier.[2]: 15:00  She has three boys, who were eleven, seven, and three on 1 February 2022.[10] She has been open about her use of localised topical vaginal estrogen; she told the I in November 2023 that she would give it to all women, in order to replace that which is lost over time, and that she would give more women vibrators for medical reasons, on the grounds that orgasms help pelvic floor muscles, lower blood pressure, and release endorphins which help relieve pain and stimulate oxytocin.[17] In March 2024, she was named as one of 28 deputy lieutenants for Buckinghamshire.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ Arif, Nighat (9 February 2024). "🎶it's my Birthday🎶I'm not one to celebrate my birthday and as a family we rarely make a fuss - BUT turning 40 - somehow feels like a milestone and WHAT A PRIVILEGE!I don't feel upset for getting "older" I don't feel sad that I can't say "I'm 30- something" I don't want to cry that "I'm further from my 20s" It's SUCH an honour & a privilege that my body has got me here #happybirthdaytome #theknowledge". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  2. ^ a b c d "Series 89, Episode 71". Countdown. Channel 4. 2024-04-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e Rimi, Aisha (2023-08-15). "Dr Nighat Arif: 'Women like me have never been seen in health books'". Hyphen. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  4. ^ a b c Graham, Sarah (2023-08-04). "Meet the British Muslim GP who wants you to discuss vaginal dryness in your living room". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  5. ^ "Series 89, Episode 70". Countdown. Channel 4. 2024-04-08.
  6. ^ "Q&A With Dr Nighat Arif: The Knowledge!". www.mwnhub.com. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  7. ^ Admin, Wendover News (2019-02-28). "Chairman hosts event celebrating community life in Chesham". Wendover News. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  8. ^ "Queen's honour for Buckinghamshire residents". Wendover News. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  9. ^ "TV doctor speaks out about the social media abuse she has faced". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2021-03-29. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  10. ^ a b "You Will See The Doctor Now - Star of Social and Mainstream Media, Dr Nighat Arif". www.oxmag.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  11. ^ a b "Series 89, Episode 73". Countdown. Channel 4. 2024-04-11.
  12. ^ "GP proud to wear hijab on Countdown despite racist abuse". BBC News. 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  13. ^ "Imams mobilize to counter UK vaccine disinfo" (PDF). Kuwait Times. 24 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Bucks GP's TikTok post about Covid jab seen by more than 100k people". Bucks Free Press. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  15. ^ Maxted, Anna (2023-08-01). "Nighat Arif, the TikTok doc tackling women's health". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  16. ^ "Series 89, Episode 72". Countdown. Channel 4. 2024-04-10.
  17. ^ Arif, Dr Nighat (2023-11-17). "Dr Nighat Arif: How to improve women's health? I'd start with more vibrators". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  18. ^ "Celebrity doctor receives ceremonial role representing royal family in Buckinghamshire". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
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