Actress Samantha Akkineni and actor Naga Chaitanya, who got married in 2017, announced on Saturday that they have decided to part ways.
Samantha and Naga, who have been married for almost four years, had reportedly been facing issues for a while. The rumours about their divorce began when Samantha recently dropped her surname ‘Akkineni’ from all her social media handles. However, the couple had remained tight-lipped about any news of divorce until now.
Naga Chaitanya made the announcement on Twitter with a note in which he said that the duo was “fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade.” He also requested their fans to support the two of them during this difficult time and respect their privacy. The note read, “To all our well wishers. After much deliberation and thought Sam and I have decided to part ways as husband and wife to pursue our own paths. We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was the very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us. We request our fans, well wishers and the media to support us during this difficult time and give us the privacy we need to move on. Thank you for your support (sic).”
Samantha too shared the note with the same announcement on her Instagram handle.
Samantha and Naga Chaitanya met on the sets of their film Ye Maya Chesave (2010) and had a destination wedding in 2017 in Goa. They delivered their vows in a traditional Hindu wedding first, which was followed by an intimate Christian wedding.
In an earlier interview with media sources, Naga Chaitanya had been asked if gossip about his personal life had been hurtful. He was quoted as replying, “Initially, yes, it was a little painful. I was like ‘Why is entertainment heading this way?’ But after that, what I’ve learned is that in today’s age, news replaces news (sic).”
He added, “It doesn’t stay in people’s minds for too long. The actual news, the news that matters will stay. But the superficial news, the news that is used to create TRPs, is forgotten. Once I made this observation, it stopped affecting me (sic).”
On the other hand, rumours were also rife that Samantha would be moving to Mumbai soon. However, the actress had shut down those speculations during an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Instagram when a fan asked, ‘Are you really shifting to Mumbai?’ She had responded by saying, “I don’t know where this rumour started but just like a hundred other rumours, not true. Hyderabad is my home, will always be my home. Hyderabad is giving me everything and I will continue to live here very (happily) (sic).”