Arjun Rampal Opens Up About Divorce, Mother's Cancer Battle

Mumbai. Bollywood's famous actor Arjun Rampal has spoken openly for the first time about his divorce from model Mehr Jesia and the mental and family crisis he faced during that time.

Speaking in an interview on the YouTube show ‘Cancelled To Crown’, Arjun said that the time of separation from Mehr was the most difficult and lonely period of his life.

During the interview, recalling his old days, Arjun poured out his inner turmoil and sorrow. On one hand, his two-decade-long marital relationship was breaking, and on the other hand, his mother was fighting a life-and-death battle with cancer.

Arjun said on the show, ‘I think I felt the most lonely at that time when I couldn’t connect with myself. My married life was not going well. Love doesn’t always remain the same, and it was very sad to see that nothing in life is permanent. That was the darkest time of my life. At the same time, my mother was suffering from cancer, and I was losing her. My father had also passed away just three years before that. I was losing my friends and all those things for which I had worked hard all my life.’

Amidst such a big family and personal upheaval, model and fashion designer Gabriella Demetriades entered Arjun's life. Arjun said that Gabriella stood by him as a strong pillar and support during that turbulent time.

Gabriella herself was going through a difficult situation at that time. Arjun said that both of them were in the midst of a big storm and faced it together, ‘Gabriella came into my life as a strong support. It was good that we faced that difficult time together, and only after that did happiness return to life.’ He considers himself lucky to have a life partner like Gabriella.

Arjun Rampal married former Miss India and supermodel Mehr Jesia in 1998. They met during their modeling days and after being together for almost 20 years, they announced their separation in 2018.

Their legal divorce took place in November 2019. The couple has two daughters, Mahikaa and Myra, who currently live with their mother Mehr.

After separating from Mehr, Arjun and Gabriella met through a common friend in 2018. Arjun and Gabriella now have two sons, born in 2017 and 2023. In December 2025, they also revealed on Rhea Chakraborty's podcast that they were engaged.

Arjun Rampal, who was away from the screen for a long time, has also been commercially successful recently. His directed film by director Aditya Dhar, ‘Dhurandhar’, and its sequel ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ proved to be very successful at the box office.

In this film, his negative role as a ruthless ISI agent Major Iqbal was greatly appreciated by both the audience and critics, and the success of this film has brought Arjun back to the peak of चर्चा.