Yuzvendra Chahal reveals being labelled 'cheater' post divorce: 'Battled depression, had suicidal thoughts..'

In a recent interview on the Raj Shamani podcast, Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal spoke candidly about the mental health struggles he experienced after his divorce from Dhanashree Verma, a choreographer and influencer. He revealed that he was wrongly accused of infidelity following the separation, despite his faithfulness during the marriage.

“After my divorce, I was called cheater. And I have never cheated in my life. I’m an extremely loyal person. You wouldn’t even find a loyal person like me. I deeply care about my people," he said.

Chahal stated that the most painful aspect was the public's tendency to form judgments without having all the facts. He felt hurt by the assumptions. “That’s what affects me that you guys don’t even know what has happened and yet you are blaming me," he added.

Despite his composed nature in cricket, Chahal revealed that he found it difficult to cope with the excessive trolling and unfounded accusations that followed his separation online. He struggled with the negativity. “Just because I’m seen with someone doesn’t mean you’ll write anything for views. And if you react and speak up, then 10 more people will come and troll you even more. Because they want masala all the time," he said, referring to his alleged relationship with RJ Mahvash.

“I know my truth and the people who are close to me know my truth so I don’t care. Why do I justify to anybody when I haven’t done anything wrong?" he added firmly.

I’d been in depression for four to five months. I got anxiety attacks. Only my close ones know this. I have never shared this anywhere for sympathy. I used to have suicidal thoughts because my mind had completely stopped working," Chahal admitted.

Chahal also disclosed that he took a break from cricket to focus on his mental well-being. He mentioned that despite his material possessions, he felt a sense of emptiness. “You have everything in your life, all the luxuries, but you still don’t have happiness. Then you get these thoughts — what to do with this life, just leave it," he shared.

Chahal acknowledged the crucial support he received from his close friends, including Pratik Pawar and RJ Mahvash, who helped him through his most difficult times. He appreciated their help. "I didn’t want to share it with my family because I didn’t want to bother them. So, my close friends really helped me during this period. They were with me," he concluded.

Mahvash is starting a new phase in her career. She recently made her acting debut in Pyar Paisa Profit, a series adapted from Durjoy Datta’s novel, Now That You’re Rich… Let’s Fall In Love. The show, streaming on Amazon MX Player, stars Pratik Yadav, Mihir Ahuja, Neil Bhoopalam, Nitish Sharma, Shivangi Khedkar, and Ashish Raghav.

It's worth noting that Yuzvendra Chahal was previously married to Dhanashree Verma, a popular choreographer and social media influencer. They married in 2020 after nearly five years of dating but decided to part ways and officially divorced in March of this year.