Shefali Shah breaks silence about her first marriage and talks about emotional abuse: “This can kill me…” & more related news here

Shefali Shah opens up about her first marriage and why she walked away. Read inside.

Posted: Jan 7, 2026 11:11 am IST

In the glitzy and glamorous, it’s usually the perfect lives of celebrities that come to the fore. However, what happens behind the surface is much more than it seems. A similar story is that of actress Shefali Shah, who recently opened up about the emotional abuse she faced in her first marriage and the moment she realized she had to walk away to save herself.

Shefali Shah on her first marriage

Speaking candidly during a podcast, Shefali reflected on a defining phase of her life that changed her perspective on relationships, self-esteem, and independence. Recalling a conversation with a close friend, she said: “For me, I realized this after my first marriage. A close friend once asked me, ‘What if you never find love again? Would you take that risk or would you stay?'”

Shefali revealed that despite the fear of loneliness, her response was clear. “I told him that I would still take the risk. If I have to spend my life alone, I would choose that. I can’t stay in a situation that doesn’t bring me joy and confidence or that doesn’t make me feel valued.”

The actor admitted that the emotional toll of staying in an unhealthy relationship slowly became unbearable. Shefali shared, “This may happen every day, but then there comes a point where you realize, ‘Okay, this can kill me. I can’t keep doing this.'”

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Shefali also spoke about aging, self-acceptance, and eliminating the constant need to please others. “As you get older, you start to worry less. You get tired of trying to please everyone. That’s when I reached a state of enlightenment, realizing that I’m not pizza; I can’t please everyone.”

She emphasized the importance of recognizing one’s own worth, adding, “No one told me that you are enough. You don’t need a husband, a friend, a brother, a sister to be complete. You are enough.”

Shefali Shah on emotional abuse

Highlighting how emotional abuse is often dismissed, the actor said: “A lot of people go through that. A lot of us go through that. And they always tell you, and the constant question is, ‘Well, he didn’t hit you, did he?'”

He also spoke about the fears that leaving leaves behind and the damage it leaves: “What you don’t realize is the type of damage it is causing you. It completely breaks you as a person.”

Personal life and recent work.

Shefali was previously married to actor Harsh Chhaya and later married filmmaker Vipul Shah in 2000. Talking about her work, she was last seen in Delhi Crime Season 3, streaming on Netflix.