Meet Dua Lipa's VERY glamorous lookalike mother who escaped the Bosnian war and trained to be a lawyer
With her flawless complexion, chic sense of style and uncanny resemblance to her famous daughter, Dua Lipa 's mother has all the makings of a popstar herself.
At 52, Anesa Lipa has become something of a sensation in her own right, having racked up 200,000 Instagram followers as she follows Dua around the globe.
Flaunting a wardrobe including mini skirts from Versace, leather jackets and black cocktail dresses, her social media profile could easily be that of an influencer - especially with her travels galore.
These days, Anesa is Dua's greatest cheerleader - and also her loyal sidekick, joining her at events including the Grammys, her Glastonbury headline set and the Brit Awards.
And as she stood by Dua's side last weekend as her 'dream' came true of selling out London 's Wembley Stadium, the pair looked almost identical.
Once a trainee lawyer, Anesa and Dua's father, Dukagjin Lipa, lived in Kosovo, then part of Yugoslavia, until 1992 when the Bosnian war began.
They had already been displaced in the Balkans by Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian president later charged with war crimes.
After arriving in London and arriving in Camden as refugees, the couple worked as waiters in cafes and bars before Anesa retrained in the tourism industry.
It's clear to see where Dua has got her relentless work ethic from (she told British Vogue earlier this year that she gets up at 6.30am for Pilates, weight training, dance rehearsals, trips to the studio and coaching - in addition to her many hobbies).
'I've seen my parents work every day of my life,' Dua, 29, told the Guardian in a 2018 interview.
'A big part of who I am has been watching my parents learn to adapt in different places, in different circumstances.
'And my dad would always tell me: "You have to work really, really hard, just to have a tiny bit of luck".'
Dua was born three years after her parents' arrival in London, but when Kosovo declared independence in 2008, the Lipas returned to Pristina.
After just a few years, the star in the making decided to bravely return to the UK alone at just 15 to pursue her dreams of pop stardom.
In an interview with British Vogue earlier this year, Anesa said: 'We went through many challenges in life and had been through many difficult situations' - but added that, whatever they were against, 'we as a family can resolve it'.
When Dua returned to London alone, Anesa said: 'I think that's the hardest thing I've had to do in my life but she was so determined and full of dreams. From an early age she knew what she wanted. She was very mature, and we believed in her.'
'She's been organised her entire life. She's ahead of everything. The rest of us have to keep up.'
Speaking on the Graham Norton show in February last year, Dua said: 'I am very close to my parents who put a lot of trust in me, so I was as good as possible.
'My family keeps me grounded in all the madness.'
'It was her destiny,' Anesa told CBS' Sunday Morning in 2020 about her rise to fame, though Dua later admitted she'd failed her A-levels due to excessive partying.
Dua is the oldest of three siblings and has a younger sister, Rina, 24, and brother, Gjin, 19.
While Dua and her father co-launched the Sunny Hill Music Festival, Anesa is also listed as a director on Companies' House.
But in a Mother's Day post in 2021, Anesa declared that 'being a mother' is her 'greatest accomplishment'.
She's been by her side and in the audience seemingly every night on Dua's Radical Optimism tour, which sensationally rocked Wembley Stadium last weekend.
With a wardrobe including mini skirts from Versace, leather jackets and black cocktail dresses, Anesa's Instagram feed is ultra stylish
The very proud mother this week reposted a glowing five star review from Rolling Stone, as well as a fan video declaring Dua to be 'the UK's national treasure'.
She's been her biggest supporter since day one, with Dua even revealing that the first song she ever wrote was in honour of her mother.
In an interview with Wired in 2020, Dua said: 'My mum is an angel sent from above. Her name is Anesa and she's my rock and my superhero.
'I wrote my first ever song when I was four years old, and it was about her. It was more like a joke, it was something at home and it was in Albanian.
'It was all about, when I grow up, can I wear your dress? When I grow up, can I borrow your shoes? When I grow up, can I be as pretty as you?
'And still my parents make fun of me sometimes and we still sing it at home to each other.'
Whenever Dua hits a milestone, it seems like her mother is first there to congratulate her.
In November 2020, she wrote on Instagram: 'CONGRATULATIONS ON 6 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS!! SO PROUD OF YOU!! TE DUA! I LOVE YOU!!'
That April, following the success of her second studio album, Future Nostalgia, she wrote: 'CONGRATULATIONS DUA!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️
'Woweeeeee Number 1 album in my hometown and 3 songs in the top 10! Thank you UK and Top 5 sitting at #4 in the US.
'Jheeeze I can't believe my eyes!!! Thank you a MILLION for making this happen! So surreal to even be writing this! All my love, always x.'
When Dua headlined Glastonbury last year, Anesa described it as the 'best weekend ever!' and, even though her daughter is now engaged to Callum Turner, remains her most-prized plus one, attending the Grammys and the Brits together in the past.
The family are certainly close - recently taking a trip to France, and Anesa has also been to Porto and Tokyo as she follows her daughter around the world.
In 2021, Dua gushed that her mother is 'the strongest woman I know' in a sweet post shared for her 49th birthday.
She shared a series of adorable snaps with her mother, including some of the star as a baby.
The singer wrote a heartwarming caption writing: 'I wouldn't be me without you!'.
Dua captioned the gushing post: 'Mama! Happy Birthday! You're the strongest woman I know with the biggest heart in the world.
'Just watching you, the person you are, filled with love, care, kindness and empathy while i've been growing up has made me who I am.
'Thank you for every sacrifice you have made for us all. I wouldn't be me without you! I love you and I hope you have the best day.'
It's clear that Dua owes a lot of her success to the support and work ethic of her parents.
And Anesa, with her glamour and unwavering support, seems in many ways the secret behind her ticket to stardom.
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