Faryal Makhdoom
Boxer Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom pictured in 2012 in New York City Getty Images

Despite the ugly relationship drama, Anthony Joshua cheating rumours and a nasty public spat, boxer Amir Khan and his pregnant wife Faryal Makhdoom welcomed the New Year together, as a couple. But that hasn't stopped fans from wondering what exactly went wrong between the two after they almost ended their marriage via social media.

If the 30-year-old boxer's words are any indication, it all began when he suffered a hand injury, as a result of which he had to spend time away from the boxing ring and he eventually lost his "focus".

Opening up about the series of events that rocked their marriage, the British couple spoke candidly during their recent appearance on ITV's Loose Women. And while Khan explained his side of the story, 26-year-old Makhdoom added that there was some "misunderstanding" involved as well.

"I had my hand injury. I was wrecking my marriage, I wasn't boxing," the I'm A Celeb star told the panel. "Going through the hand injury that I had, not being in the boxing ring, being away from my family, going through a lot of stuff in my life, I think the best place for me is to be in the boxing ring."

He explained, as per the Daily Mail, "When I was away from that, it took me all over the place. I lost that focus and that structure. Not being in the gym, not training, when you have all that downtime, you have all that energy in your body."

During this tough phase, the boxing star admitted that he found solace in faith. "I started praying," he said, "That's one of the [things that] put me on the right path".

Things took a dramatic turn for the couple last year when Khan launched a scathing attack on his wife over alleged cheating rumours. To add to their woes, the boxer's family also took potshots at Makhdoom, blaming her for creating a rift and branding her as "evil".

But all of that seems to be a thing of the past now, as the couple once again rekindle their relationship and prepare to welcome their second baby this year.

"The way it went public wasn't nice... anger sometimes takes over. That happened in 2017," said Khan. "Hopefully, going into 2018, we've both put that behind us. We've got a lovely baby coming this year, we also have Lamaisah, our daughter, my boxing career, [I will] get some good fights in...

"What went wrong? A lack of communication," he reflected, to which his six-month pregnant wife added, "It was just a misunderstanding. I was in England, he was in Dubai, he thought he was a bit cool in Dubai doing some tweets..."

The American-Pakistani model also updated fans on her pregnancy, revealing, "I'm feeling okay. My first child was easier. This pregnancy was tougher... This bump isn't big – my daughter was 8lbs when she was born.

"We've been married for four years, we've been with each other for six/seven years... we've never had problems because we always communicate," Makhdoom added.