3 min readNew DelhiJun 10, 2026 04:20 PM IST
Actor Imran Khan, who spent years away from the limelight, is finally making his return to Bollywood gradually. After getting separated with wife Avantika Malik in 2019, he has been dating Lekha Washington for over six years now. In a recent interview, the actor, who has a 12-year-old daughter with his ex-wife, opened up about the real reason behind their divorce. Imran revealed that he wanted to protect his child from the unhealthy patterns of their marriage.
During a candid conversation with Etimes, he explained that the decision to part ways came from a desire to avoid passing on the toxicity to his daughter and creating a better environment for her. “With all of the pain and complication of that separation, somewhere you kind of weighed out and you weighed the alternative. Which is to propagate an unhealthy pattern and teach an unhealthy pattern to your own child. Within that, I weighed what I consider to be the lesser of two evils,” he said.
The actor then drew experiences from his own childhood, recalling how he grew up with divorced parents in the 1980s. He shared that his mother had to face the social judgement and those bitter memories made him believe that shielding appearances should never come at the cost of a child’s emotional wellbeing.
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Imran revealed that he eventually realised that children learn more from the relationships they see instead of the explanations adults give. He then credited his daughter Amara, for helping him through the most difficult periods of his life. Talking about their bond, he explained, “Words are inadequate. I can never find enough words or potent enough words to express the joy, the love, the value and the meaning that she’s brought to my life.”
When asked about how he speaks about sensitive topics with his daughter, Imran Khan emphasised on the importance of transparency without burdening children. He believes children need reassurance that their parents can manage difficult situations.“So the way that I have approached this or any complicated conversation with Amara is to say, ‘Look, here are the basic facts. Beyond this is not something for you to worry about because you’re a child… You can feel all of the things, but don’t worry about it because I got this.’”
Imran Khan’s personal life
Imran Khan and Avantika Malik started dating at the age of 19 and got married later in 2011. They got blessed with a daughter, Imara, in 2014. After eight years of marriage, the couple separated in 2019, got divorced, and have been co-parenting their daughter.
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The actor’s relationship with Lekha Washington blossomed during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Meanwhile, in a recent interview with TOI, Lekha recalled being tagged with labels like ‘sl*t’ and ‘homewrecker’. She also described her relationship with Imran as ‘mature and grounded’.
