FOR the past couple of months, speculation that Malaika Arora Khan and Arbaaz Khan are headed for a divorce had been mounting in B-town. On Monday, they issued a joint statement in which they admitted that they had separated. Malaika and Arbaaz said they had finally decided to go public with their separation because of all the confusion it was causing their families.
“We have maintained a dignified silence till now but it is causing us too much confusion and is disturbing for our families. To put all of the speculation to rest, we are giving out this statement,” the duo said in a joint statement, that was published by DNA. “People claiming to be our friends and sources have been speaking on our behalf giving out wrong, malicious information. They have maligned us for long and we have kept quiet and not said a word as it’s a personal matter between us. We have got a child and our families are involved, but just because we have not said anything till now, it doesn’t give anybody the license to speculate on any rubbish about us.”
The couple then went on to explain that they had indeed “taken a break” from their marriage.
“The truth is, we have taken a break, but that doesn’t mean people can presume, assume and speculate things of such malicious nature. We are taking out time to figure out our lives... Yes, it’s true that we are separated, but where our lives go and what transpires between us, it is for us to decide. Wherever it goes from here, we will talk about it when we are ready to,” Malaika and Arbaaz added.
In their joint statement, Malaika and Arbaaz also referred to reports that she was having an affair, was unhappy with his financial situation, was consulting a divorce lawyer etc, as “completely baseless”.
“We are not separated because of a third random person,” Malaika and Arbaaz said. “Nor was it about his family disapproving of her lifestyle, nor does she feel that her husband is not financially stable. She is not crying on her brother-in-law Salman’s shoulders, asking him to help. They are our family, so please don’t talk about them like that.
We deeply respect each other’s families. We want to put to rest all these articles which are complete rubbish. Till then, please respect. On just 29 February, Arbaaz had talked about how much he loved Malaika, and how afraid he was of losing her. “It happens. When you achieve something or someone, you don’t want to lose the person. I love Malaika but I’m possessive about her,” Arbaaz said, adding, “It wasn’t like this when she was younger or I was more new into the relationship (sic), but it has happened now. She is very precious and dear to me. I love her more than anything else in the world. I’m afraid of losing her now.”
