Huda Mustafa got candid about her painful upbringing in a new episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, revealing she grew up in an “extremely abusive” home.
The Love Island star, the youngest of five and the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, shared that her childhood was far from ideal. Her parents arrived in the U.S. with “nothing,” and she said they struggled financially.
“I wasn’t raised with money,” Mustafa told host Alex Cooper around the 6:45 mark. “Growing up, my dad was extremely abusive. He was very abusive towards my mother, towards me, and my siblings.”
Huda Mustafa recounted a haunting memory of domestic violence between her parents during her appearance on Call Her Daddy.
“I remember hearing my dad beating the shit out of my mom in the room,” she said. “Someone finally got the door open, and I just remember seeing my mom’s face. Her glasses were broken, and then I just see him snatch her head back and slam the door. I’m going to cry. Literally, that was my childhood.”
Despite growing up surrounded by violence, Mustafa said her teenage years weren’t all bleak. “Me and my siblings were extremely close in the midst of the chaos,” she shared.
Her parents eventually separated when she was in fourth grade. Mustafa recalled her mother gathering the kids and leaving while their father was at work. Now 24, and a mom herself to a 4-year-old daughter named Arleigh, Mustafa revealed she’s been estranged from her dad for eight years.
Often painted as a villain on Love Island, Mustafa recently received public support from her daughter’s father, Noah Sheline. In a post shared on his TikTok Story, he reminded fans to show compassion.
“At the end of the day, I hope everyone remembers we’re human,” he wrote. “Her going on that show to find love, or whatever you think it was she’s doing, remember she’s still human, she has a daughter and a life.
“It’s crazy I have to involve myself in this, but I don’t want my daughter’s mom to get out and see this, and her mental health goes down a hill,” he added. “For people who have been respectful and nice and defending her as a mother, thank you! She tries just as much as any other young parent in this world.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit their website for resources.
