4 minutes of readingNew DelhiUpdated: February 3, 2026 02:38 pm IST
Actor Imran Khanwho spoke publicly for the first time about dealing with anxiety and depression in 2024, shared how prioritizing his mental health helped him realize his marriage was no longer working. The actor has spoken candidly about his struggle with failure, his battle with depression, his separation from wife Avantika Malik and his devotion to his daughter, revealing vulnerable insights into his weakest moments.
Imran Khan revealed that his awareness of his mental health issues began in 2016, long before his split from Avantika Malik. He credited his mother, a psychoanalyst, for giving him early exposure to conversations about mental health, free of stigma, he said in a conversation with ETimes.
Imran Khan realized something was wrong in 2016
“Long before my divorce, around 2016, I realized something was wrong. I just didn’t feel like the version of myself I saw in my head. I was interacting with the world out of fear and paralyzing anxiety. In my head, I thought I was calm, but I was an absolute mess. When I saw that, I knew the self-image I was carrying wasn’t real, and I wanted to change that,” Khan said.
He described this period as a mental health scare that forced him to confront his condition. “In June 2016, I started working on my mental health. I started analyzing and made it my main focus for 2016, 2017, and 2018. In addition to being a full-time dad, I was actively working on getting myself together.”
Self-reflection led Imran to acknowledge his unhealthy marriage
It was during this introspective journey that Imran began to re-evaluate his marriage with Avantika.
“Within that, I developed the understanding that my dynamic with my partner was unhealthy. Our relationship began when we were very young and didn’t have the life experience to understand what was healthy or unhealthy in a relationship. Once I became more aware, I saw that we were trapped in a cycle that we couldn’t break. Any change required both of us and it wasn’t happening. I understood that to be the best and healthiest version of myself, I have to walk away from this relationship.” Hey. explained.
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Decision to separate for personal healing
Imran said their decision to separate was a proactive step towards self-healing, not the trigger for their mental health issues, as many speculated.
“I don’t blame anyone. I’ve been out of the public eye. In the absence of me being present and speaking, rumors, gossip and speculation simply circulate and things get confused and confused. Many assumed that my divorce triggered my crisis, but the worst years were actually the last years of my marriage. Choosing to end it was a turning point: it allowed me to heal and grow. It’s because we weren’t in sync; We couldn’t support ourselves by being the best version of ourselves. Whatever pain and trauma arises from separation, it is still preferable to remaining in an unhealthy environment..”
Imran Khan on being a single father
Throughout this challenging period, Imran found stability and purpose in raising his daughter. “She has always been my anchor, my lighthouse. Even when I felt lost, my love for her and my responsibility towards her became my guiding principle. That’s what motivated me to work on myself and be a healthy parent,” he said.
Seven years after their separation, Khan continues to work as a single father. “I have never hired staff. I value the time I spend with her; I don’t want anyone else to put her to bed or take her to school. I’m greedy, I want that time. From Thursday to Sunday, she is with me and I do everything myself: I pack her dabba, I read to her, I take her to school. This is the most valuable time for me and I won’t give it up for anything else.”
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Imran Khan and Avantika Malik got married in 2011 and separated in 2019 after eight years of marriage. The couple, who met in 2002, share a daughter, Imara Malik Khan, born in 2014.