A former contestant on The Apprentice has been seen attending the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader, after Iranian authorities reportedly invited hundreds of Western influencers to Tehran for the event.
Bushra Shaikh, a British-Pakistani media personality who has become an outspoken supporter of the Iranian government, posted footage from the multi-day gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, where crowds of mourners waved flags associated with the regime.
In one post on X, Shaikh wrote: “Long live the Islamic Republic.”
She described the trip in another post as “an honour,” adding that she was reporting on what she called a historic moment in Iran.
According to Canada-based Iranian news outlet Iran Wire, Shaikh was among around 400 non-Iranian influencers and social media activists invited to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral, many of whom have previously voiced support for the regime and criticism of Western governments.
In recent years, a number of Western online figures have publicly backed the Islamic Republic, particularly over its position on the war in Gaza and its confrontations with Israel and the United States.
Some of those figures have also travelled to Iran in the past to create and share content sympathetic to the country’s leadership.
Shaikh, who appeared on Series 13 of the BBC’s The Apprentice in 2017 and has also featured on GB News, BBC One and Channel 5, has drawn criticism in the UK in recent years over her public stance on Iran’s regime.
Former Apprentice contestant Bushra Shaikh has attended the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader after the regime invited hundreds of Western influencers to the event in Tehran
Bushra Shaikh is a media personality turned mouthpiece for Iran’s brutal Islamist government
Ms Shaikh appeared on series 13 of the Apprentice in 2017 as the founder of a ‘modest’ fashion label for Muslim women before being fired by Lord Sugar on the ninth episode
Earlier this year, she was reported to counter-terror police after addressing a pro-regime rally in Iran where participants waved Hezbollah flags.
Hours after the post went online, a report – seen by the Daily Mail – was sent to the Met Police claiming Shaikh may have breached the Terrorism Act, which bans ‘inviting support’ for a terror group.
The report also alleged that she may have violated the National Security Act, which requires individuals to register with the UK Government if they are ‘directed by a foreign power to carry out political influence activities’.
The Met said in response: ‘Any allegations relating to possible terrorism or national security-related offences will be passed to officers within Counter Terrorism Policing, who will assess the details and take any further action as appropriate.’
In addition to Shaikh, British media activist Sakina Dattoo also attended the late Supreme Leader’s funeral and shared videos of herself at the event on Instagram.
‘Heartbreak, anger and defiance as Iranians in Tehran participate in the funeral procession of their slain leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and his family members,’ she wrote in one post.
Also seen at the event was American commentator Jackson Hinkle, who shared a video of himself leading a chant to a crowd of Iranian mourners.
He can be heard saying ‘Down with Zionists,’ ‘Down with Israel,’ and ‘Down with the USA’, as Iranians sing the words back to him.
The American also shared countless clips of mourners moving down the streets of Tehran as the coffin of the Supreme Leader was carried along.
British media activist Sakina Dattoo also attended the late Supreme Leader’s funeral and shared videos of herself at the event on Instagram
American commentator Jackson Hinkle shared a video of himself leading a chant to a crowd of Iranian mourners
‘Iran has never been more united,’ he captioned one of his posts.
Like Shaikh and Dattoo, a significant portion of his content appears to focus heavily on showcasing the scale of the crowds and emphasising Iranians’ support for the government.
According to Iran Wire, the regime has a well-documented track record of employing ideologically aligned foreign voices to legitimise its geopolitical stances.
Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour, the head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, told the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency that approximately 400 foreign bloggers and influencers were brought into the country to cover the funeral.
The attendance of foreign influencers comes as mourners dressed in black flooded into Iran’s capital Monday for a procession as part of the funeral, with throngs of people calling for the death of US President Donald Trump.
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, and those of his family members who were killed on February 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, sat aboard a truck decorated to resemble the ornamental grating that surrounds the shrine of an imam.
The massive turnout was encouraged by Iran’s theocracy as a sign of strength, and it came as the Islamic Republic negotiates with the US over a permanent end to the war.
Helicopter images aired on Iranian state television showed a massive crowd stretching for miles from Tehran’s Azadi, or Freedom, Square along a multilane street of the same name.
People attend a funeral procession for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
A vehicle carrying coffins of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members
A mourner passes under a cooling spray from a riot police water cannon vehicle after paying final respects to Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the third day of his funeral ceremonies on July 6, 2026 in Tehran, Iran
The crowd appeared to be larger than the one that turned out for the 2020 procession for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which drew over 1 million people.
Authorities offered no immediate crowd count as the truck crept down the street. People alongside the truck and elsewhere on the route carried placards, signs and banners calling for Trump’s death.
Mourners reached out to touch the truck, and some threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran seen as a blessing.
Attendants, some on the ladders of fire trucks, sprayed misted water across the crowds to cool them in the heat.
Authorities appeared concerned about the dangers of having a large crowd alongside the procession, with officials on loudspeakers urging the public to walk slowly, not to push and to stay to the edges of the street.
The coffins were taken through the streets of Tehran on a roughly 12-hour journey to Mehrabad International Airport, and Khamenei’s casket was flown later Monday to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, according to state television.
He will be honoured there on Tuesday.
