New Delhi: Former Bollywood actor Imran Khan, who separated from his ex-wife Avantika Malik in 2019, has confirmed his relationship with actor Lekha Washington. The speculations around the two dating started when the couple attended Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan’s wedding in Udaipur together. In a recent interview, Imran addressed these speculations, confirming his relationship with Lekha and dispelling misconceptions surrounding his divorce.
Speaking to Vogue India, Imran Khan stated, “The speculation that I’m romantically involved with Lekha Washington is true. I’m divorced and have been separated since February 2019.”
He revealed that he and Lekha grew closer during the lockdown, about a year and a half after his separation from Avantika and nearly a year after Lekha's separation from her partner.
“Lekha and I grew close during the lockdown, a year and a half after I had been separated from Avantika and almost a year after she had separated from her partner, not husband, as it has been widely reported,” he said.
Imran expressed his frustration with the narrative portraying Lekha as a "homewrecker“. "There's this narrative of Lekha being a homewrecker, which infuriates me because not only is it misogynistic but it also takes away my agency as an individual,” he told Vogue.
Imran and Lekha were present at the wedding celebrations of Ira and Nupur, held in Udaipur, and later attended the reception in Mumbai. The duo joyfully posed for the cameras during the festivities.
Imran on why he took a break from acting
Imran, who took a hiatus from acting after 2015's ‘Katti Batti’, shared why he took the decision to stop working in films.
“I simply couldn’t be bothered to invest the time, energy and effort required to stay in this profession. I couldn’t bring myself to go to parties and socialise with people in the hope that someone would offer me a film. I felt damaged on the inside and I wanted to fix that. If you pull a hamstring, you go to the physiotherapist. You don’t feel good mentally? Seek therapy,” the actor said.
The actor , who is now working on his comebacks, wants to “play characters that are truthful to where he is in his life.”