After months of speculation about Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan's marriage that has been buzzing in the B-town, the couple decided to come out and clear the air.
While the couple has denied the reports of trouble in their 18-year marriage so far, on Monday, the two finally came out in the open and spoke about the issue in a joint statement to DNA.
In the statement, the duo has confirmed that they have parted ways and are on a break as of now. The couple said they had finally decided to go public with their separation because of all the confusion it was causing their families.
"Yes, it's true that we are separated," they added in the same report. However, a divorce, seems far-fetched.
While they have admitted to a separation, the couple outright rubbished all rumours hinting at the involvement of any "random third person" or either family being the reason behind their decision of taking a break.
They also accused people 'claiming to be friends' of spreading misinformation and maligning them.
“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.”
They explained why they had decided to "take a break" from their marriage. "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.
The couple also shot down rumours that Malaika is divorcing Arbaaz as he is not stable financially.
The rumours started a couple of months ago and several reports had earlier said that Malaika has filed for a divorce.
The Khan-daan bahu's absence from sister-in-law Arpita Khan Sharma's baby shower and younger sister Amrita's b'day bash in Dubai had worked as fuel to the rumours.
However, Arbaaz had time and again taken to social media and denied the rumours of his troubled marriage.
During the TV show Yaar Mera Superstar, Arbaaz said, "I love Malaika but I'm possessive about her. It wasn't like this when she was younger or I was new into the relationship. She is precious to me. I'm afraid of losing her now."
The couple were currently hosting a TV show, Power Couple and the murmurs grew louder after the duo stopped coming to the sets together.
Malaika first met Arbaaz, while shooting for a coffee advertisement in 1992. The couple fell in love and dated for five years before tying the knot.
Read their full statement here.
Also See On HuffPost:
