Kenyan-Somali model and reality television star Chanel Ayan has spoken about surviving FGM.
The Kenyan-Somali model and reality TV star says she underwent FGM at five and condemns its lasting harm to girls and women.
Chanel Ayan has spoken about surviving female genital mutilation (FGM) at five during an appearance on The Jason Lee Show. The Kenyan-Somali model and The Real Housewives of Dubai star described the childhood ordeal and condemned the practice.
Ayan said her grandmother restrained her on a bed while a practitioner carried out the cutting. Although she grew up in Kenya, she linked her experience to traditions within her Somali community.
However, she stressed that FGM extends beyond a single African community. She also described a cycle in which women who underwent cutting later participate in subjecting younger girls to it.
Chanel Ayan speaks out on lasting harm
The reality television star condemned FGM as a violation of women’s control over their own bodies. She also said it denies women sexual pleasure and exposes girls to serious health complications.
Ayan highlighted deaths among girls following the procedure, alongside lasting reproductive health problems for some survivors. She expressed dismay that communities continue to subject young girls to FGM in 2026.
Beyond her childhood experience, Ayan also discussed a bitter fallout with a former television co-star. She alleged that the individual circulated a private, unedited nude photograph of her online, betraying her trust.
She described the alleged sharing of the photograph as particularly painful because of her experience as an FGM survivor. Her interview addressed both the childhood ordeal and the distress she associated with that alleged breach of privacy.
