Aarti Ravi says Jayam Ravi ‘blindsided’ her with separation announcement: ‘I cannot stand by this’

Jayam Ravi announced on X on September 9 that he was separating from his wife, Aarti Ravi. Reportedly on September 10, he filed petition for divorce.

Two days after actor Jayam Ravi announced his impending divorce and a day after he reportedly filed a petition in Chennai Family Court, his wife Aarti Ravi released a statement on Wednesday, claiming that she was blindsided by his statement. Her note states that she’s ‘shocked and saddened’ by how Ravi handled the whole issue. (Also Read: Jayam Ravi announces divorce from wife Aarti Ravi after 15 years of marriage: 'This decision wasn't made in haste')

Aarti Ravi says that Jayam Ravi released their separation announcement without her 'knowledge or consent'.

Aarti Ravi’s statement

Aarti shared a statement on her Instagram and turned off the comments on Wednesday. She revealed that Ravi announced their separation without her consent or knowledge. “I am deeply shocked and saddened by the recent public announcement regarding our marriage, which was made without my knowledge or consent. After 18 years of shared history, I believe that such a significant matter should be handled with grace, respect, and privacy that it deserves,” reads a portion of her statement.

Aarti also claimed that she tried to settle this amicably with Ravi and hoped to work on their marriage, but that her efforts have been futile, “For some time, I have sought several opportunities to speak directly with my husband, hoping to have an open dialogue in a manner that honours the commitment we made to one another and our family. Sadly, that opportunity was not afforded to me, leaving both my children and me completely blindsided by this announcement.”

She made it clear that the decision to dissolve the marriage is Ravi’s alone and that she doesn’t support it, “The decision to walk out of our marriage is purely one sided and does not benefit our family. Despite the pain this has caused, I have chosen to remain dignified and refrained from public comment until now.”

Aarti wrote that the only reason she’s speaking about it now is because she has been the target of trolls since he made the announcement, “It has been hard to endure the false public narrative that has unfairly placed blame on me and subjected my character to attacks. As a mother, my first priority is and always will be the well-being of my children, I cannot stand by while this narrative affects them, and I will not allow these unfounded allegations to go unaddressed.”

She also claimed that in time the ‘full context’ of what happened will come out, writing, “My focus remains on the well-being of our children and helping them navigate this difficult time with the strength and integrity they deserve. I trust in time, the full context of our situation will be understood.”

Jayam Ravi files for divorce

According to Asianet News, Ravi filed a petition for divorce from his wife Aarti at the Chennai Family Court on September 10. He filed claiming that their marriage that took place in 2009 should be annulled. The petition is coming up for hearing on October 10.

This comes a day after he released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) announcing separation from his wife after 15 years of marriage. A portion of his statement reads, “After much thought and discussions, I have taken the difficult decision to proceed with the dissolution of my marriage with Aarti. This decision was not made out of haste and it stems from personal reasons that I believe are in the best interests of everyone involved.”

In June this year, a few days after their 15th wedding anniversary on June 4, Aarti deleted all her photos with Ravi on her Instagram account leading to rumours of their split. For the unversed, Aarti is the daughter of noted television producer Sujatha Vijayakumar.