Celebrity Mother's Day Tribute
Laila Ali and her mom, Veronica Porche
Laila Ali and her mother don’t often see eye to eye, but they agree on one subject: Laila is the overprotective one. “If we go out or I leave Laila’s house, she always says, ‘Call me when you get home!’ ” says Veronica Porche, Psy.D., Ali’s mother. “I’m overprotective of anyone I care about,” explains Ali, 30, in her defense. Still, Ali and Porche’s bond is more traditional than “daughter knows best.” In fact, the cohost of NBC’s hit American Gladiator, who’s expecting her first child, knows her mom is in her corner.
For Porche, 52, however, standing on the sidelines has not always been easy. Ali is predominantly regarded as “Muhammad Ali’s daughter,” and the media speculation about her athletic lineage (her 5'10" stunner physique, her inherited boxing skill) has often made Porche feel left out of the big picture. “Sometimes I wanted to say, ‘She got some of those talents from me too!’ ” she says, joking.
-Penny Wrenn
EssenceMagazine.com
