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Celebrity couple Zara Noor Abbas and Asad Siddiqui opened up about their journey into parenthood, the grief of losing their firstborn, and how their daughter, NooreJahan, brought light into their lives after a period of darkness in a heartfelt conversation on Mehfil-e-Khas.

During the episode hosted by Rabia Anum and Danish Taimoor, the couple candidly discussed the emotions surrounding the birth of their daughter and the healing process that followed the stillbirth of their son, Aurangzeb.

When asked if he had hoped for a boy or a girl, Siddiqui responded with gratitude. “I am grateful. I don’t want to say anything that will be portrayed negatively,” he said, before elaborating.

“I just wanted a healthy baby because we had recently lost one. And he was our baby boy, we had even kept his name — Aurangzeb — and done his shopping. So when we were expecting again, I automatically assumed that it would also be a baby boy because our minds were prepared for a baby boy from before, it automatically became a desire,” he explained.

“But then NooreJahan came into the picture and she’s like our baby boy.”

The couple also shared the story behind their daughter’s name. “Initially, it was supposed to be Jahan Ara, then we decided on Noor Jahan,” Asad recalled. “Then my father told us to keep it NooreJahan.”

Siddiqui chimed in with a warm anecdote, revealing that she had intentionally kept the baby’s gender a surprise from Asad.

“I hadn’t told Asad that it was going to be a daughter, so he would ask me names again and again. I would suggest names like Tehzeeb, and he’d get confused, saying that’s a girl’s name. In return, he would suggest names like Daud,” she laughed. “Eventually, I told his parents to take the final call and that’s when he found out — and then he got excited.”

While their conversation was lighthearted, it also carried the weight of a loss that many couples experience but few talk about openly.

Abbas had first opened up about the trauma of birthing a stillborn baby during a podcast with Frieha Altaf in 2022, calling it a moment that changed her life forever. During the conversation, she urged for more openness around the subject and encouraged women to seek strength in each other.

Siddiqui too had spoken about their loss in a 2022 interview with Fuschia, where he described the stillbirth of their baby boy Aurangzeb as a deeply painful time, one that left a lasting impact on them — especially Abbas. He also reflected on the emotional toll it took, and the role of faith in helping them heal, and urged people to be more mindful when commenting on others’ lives without knowing the struggles they may be hiding.

Abbas and Siddiqui tied the knot in 2017. They welcomed NooreJahan into their lives last year.