‘We never told them they had to respect me’: Gabriella Demetriades opens up about her bond with Arjun Rampal's daughters

Arjun Rampal shared insights on parenting and revealed his daughters' relationship with his fiance Gabriella Demetriades.

Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal is currently riding high on the success of his recent release, Dhurandhar. Amid this, the actor has revealed that he is engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Gabriella Demetriades. In a recent conversation with Rhea Chakraborty on her podcast, Arjun spoke about co-parenting his daughters, Mahikaa and Myra, and opened up about their friend-like relationship with Gabriella.

Arjun Rampal talks about his daughters' bond with fiance Gabriella.

Arjun Rampal on coparenting daughters

Calling parenting “the hugest challenge in the world”, Arjun explained, “From little things that just want to be clutched onto you and are always hanging around, you become their everything. Then they get their little wings and start to fly out of your nest and experience life, friendships, traumas, all of that happens. You suddenly become more of an observer. They know you’ll always have their back, but it’s not easy. It’s a completely different relationship. You can’t say the pressure is on her or me. They are changing every day. They have conversations about boyfriends, friends, their own world, and you’re not really welcomed into that world.”

He further spoke about his daughters’ relationship with Gabriella, saying, “Mahikaa, Myra and Gabriella get along really, really well — touchwood. They can talk to her like a friend. I want to be that friend too, but I’m too old-fashioned.”

Gabriella added, “They have been amazing through all of it. We never told them they had to respect me. They don’t have to. They just need to have a relationship with me, and if they like me, that’s great. There was no pressure. We let them settle into a rhythm on their own. They are fun, lovely girls, and I think I am the Gen Z.”

Arjun Rampal’s personal life

Arjun was married to Mehr Jesia, but the couple divorced in 2019 after 21 years of marriage. They continue to co-parent their daughters, Mahikaa and Myra. He met Gabriella through mutual friends in 2018, and the two began dating a few months later. The couple welcomed their son Arik in 2019, followed by their second son, Ariv, in July 2023.