Mariam Tillyaeva, a social media influencer and the granddaughter of Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov, has revealed the harsh realities behind her privileged upbringing, detailing severe physical bullying at a Swiss boarding school and a deeply strained relationship with her mother, Lola Karimova.
Speaking to Russian journalist Nadezhda Strelets, Tillyaeva described a childhood overshadowed by constant security threats, a fear of kidnapping and a profound lack of emotional warmth at home. Despite her high-profile family background, she insisted she would rather not be viewed as a victim but rather hopes to explain the foundational experiences that shaped her character.
Tillyaeva recounted enduring intense xenophobia and physical abuse while studying in Switzerland, saying, «I faced a lot of racist abuse.» She described horrific incidents where classmates pushed her head into a toilet and ruined her white jacket with cake on her birthday.
«I wouldn’t wish what I lived through in Switzerland on anyone,» Tillyaeva said. «You are in a foreign country, they start bullying you, and there is no support.»
Her parents attempted to intervene by speaking with the school director and making financial donations to secure better treatment from teachers, but the cruelty from her peers persisted.
Difficult family
The influencer also opened up about her difficult relationship with her mother, describing a constant need to be careful around her. She shared a specific incident at a Parisian restaurant where her mother, frustrated by her restless behaviour as a child, publicly struck her on the head with a heavy French menu.
«She didn’t have enough patience to just talk with me,» Tillyaeva said, noting that such moments were frequent. «Every time I interacted with her, I had the feeling that I was irritating her and doing something wrong.»
Read also: Swiss court fines Lombard Odier bank $3.6 mln, drops Gulnara Karimova case
Los Angeles refuge
Tillyaeva found eventual relief after relocating to the United States to attend the Buckley School in Los Angeles. The diverse student body allowed her to escape the racism she faced in Europe. She credited the school’s creative programmes in theatre and music with helping her rebuild her shattered confidence.
«In America, no one cared where you were from, what you did or whose granddaughter you were,» she said.
Strelets noted that surviving the traumatic Swiss school environment inadvertently prepared Tillyaeva for the intense cyberbullying she later faced as a public figure. Rather than turning bitter, she said the adversity motivated her to create positive comedy videos to entertain her audience.
Side story: Islam Karimov’s Tashkent residence to become public park
