Tag: divorce

  • Bill, Melinda Gates part ways after 27 years of marriage

    Bill, Melinda Gates part ways after 27 years of marriage

    Bill and Melinda Gates have parted ways after 27 years of marriage. The couple was one of the world’s wealthiest couples, with an estimated net worth of some $130 billion,

    In an official statement posted on social media, the Microsoft co-founder and his former wife announced the news, saying: “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”

    “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” said the couple further adding that they will continue to work together at the foundation.

    “We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” continued the statement.

    The family has requested for privacy and space to “navigate this new life”.

    Bill and Melinda met in 1987 when Melinda joined Microsoft as a product manager. The two were unexpectedly seated next to each other at a work dinner and instantly hit it off. After two weeks when Gates asked Melinda out on a first date, she initially rejected him because he was not “spontaneous enough.” Bill called her two hours later and asked for a date that night. They later tied the knot in 1994.

    The couple have three children: Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe.

    The announcement comes two years after the divorce of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, another of the world’s wealthiest people, and his wife MacKenzie.

    Gates, 65, was a geeky teenager when he started what would become the world’s most valuable company, and was for a time the world’s richest man and most prominent philanthropist.

    He stepped down as Microsoft chief executive in 2008 to devote more time to philanthropy and later left the board, keeping only the title of “founder and technology advisor.”

  • ‘I was imprisoned for 4 years’: Komal Rizvi opens up on abusive marriage

    Komal Rizvi recently opened up about her divorce and abusive marriage of four years.

    Detailing her harrowing experience on Nida Yasir’s Ramzan Special show along with Shoaib Malik, Rizvi said that she got divorced in 2019. Sharing details of her marriage, Rizvi said that after her marriage when she was in Oman with her husband she had to go to the bed hungry several times due to her husband’s mistreatment.

    The singer further said that she was imprisoned for four years during which she used to earn money by giving tuitions. Later, she also took a course and started supplying food to different stores in Oman.

    “When my husband tortured and injured me, my parents became suspicious and started asking me to come back,” said Rizvi. “Then one day my father came and brought me back to Pakistan.”

    Read more – Ismat Zaidi opens up about her struggles after divorce

    Komal also said that when her father came to take her with him she was terrified that her husband would kill her.

    “I was psychologically upset,” expressed Komal. “I spoke to my aunt [Khala], who is a psychiatrist and asked her that I can’t believe that having such a high IQ how did I become like this? She told me that it’s not about IQ and said that intelligent women tend to stay longer in abusive marriages because they try to rationalize the acts of their abuser.”

    Stressing on the importance of educating girls and making them financially independent, Komal said that it is important for women to have a skill set.

  • Ismat Zaidi opens up about her struggles after divorce

    Ismat Zaidi opens up about her struggles after divorce

    Veteran actor Ismat Zaidi recently opened up about her struggles after her divorce, when her husband left her for a younger woman.

    Read more – Bushra Ansari opens up about her divorce

    Speaking to a local magazine, Zaidi shared that before her divorce, she requested her husband to leave their house as their children were growing up but he refused because the other woman had told him to end things with her first. Zaidi has two children – a daughter and a son.

    “I don’t understand why women cry after divorce for a person who is leaving them,” said Zaidi. “Crying is for when your husband passes away and you are in shock. I always wished that my house would not break or my husband should not divorce me. And even if he has no relations with me, his relationship with the children should not be bad so that it does not affect them.”

    She shared that after being in a relationship with the other woman for two years, her husband forcibly divorced her at the behest of his second wife.

    “I told him to do whatever you want but do not break our family as our children are growing but the other lady made sure to end our family,” said Ismat.

    The actor went on to say that when her husband divorced her, her in-laws stepped in to support her.

    “After the divorce, my husband wanted me to leave the house but my in-laws were very supportive. They said no one will leave the house and no extra person will enter this house. She will live here because we brought her,” said Ismat, adding that she was married for 23 years.

    “After my divorce, I have been really strong because my in-laws were really supportive and they even kept me in their house.”

    She shared that because of their support, she started working in the television industry right after her divorce and has been working since.

    Zaidi has been part of several super hit dramas including Mann Mayal, Beti, Meri Guriya, Deewangi, Meherposh and most recently Fitoor.

  • Momal, Shahzad Sheikh praise Sadaf Kanwal for handling Syra-Shahroz divorce maturely

    Momal, Shahzad Sheikh praise Sadaf Kanwal for handling Syra-Shahroz divorce maturely

    Real-life siblings Shahzad Sheikh and Momal Sheikh, who are also Shahroz Sabzwari’s first cousins, have recently opened up about the controversy that followed after Shahroz’s split with Syra Yousuf and his marriage to Sadaf Kanwal.

    Talking to Ahsan Khan on his show Time Out with Ahsan Khan about the matter, Momal said: “Shahroz and Syra handled it so well – it was the best thing and that is the way it should be. People do talk about things, they have always been talking and will continue to do so.”

    When Ahsan asked her about her thoughts on how the former couple handled it, Momal said: “They are mature individual adults, who handled things maturely. Both [of them] are beautiful from the inside.”

    At this point, Shahzad added: “The third member, Sadaf is the most mature and down to earth woman you will ever meet. And we are so proud of the way she handled the negative feedback online. So, I guess I can say on the basis of her pure heartedness, that God’s will was always with her.”

    Momal further said: “She handled everything so maturely and she is good from the heart and Allah is with such people who are good from the heart.”

    Read more – Sadaf Kanwal opens up on how she dealt with hate after marriage to Shahroz

    Syra and Shahroz ended their seven-year marriage in February 2020 after which Shahroz tied the knot with Sadaf in May 2020 in an intimate nikkah ceremony.

  • Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s eldest son testifies against father in court

    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s eldest son testifies against father in court

    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s eldest son Maddox Jolie-Pitt has reportedly testified in the former couple’s divorce trial and has said not “very flattering” things about his father.

    “Maddox has already given testimony as [an] adult in the ongoing custody dispute, and it wasn’t very flattering toward Brad,” an “inside” source told Us Weekly on Thursday. “He doesn’t use Pitt as his last name on documents that aren’t legal and instead uses Jolie. Maddox wants to legally change his last name to Jolie, which Angelina has said she doesn’t support.”

    The report comes hours after Jolie reportedly told the court that she will offer “proof” at trial to support her claims of domestic violence against ex-husband. Court filings, submitted last week, indicate that Jolie and her children are willing to offer “proof and authority in support” of the abuse claims. Reports further said that Jolie said she is prepared to detail her negative experiences with Pitt, during their 10-year relationship and two-year marriage.

    Jolie and Pitt have six children. Besides, 19-year-old Maddox, there is Pax, 17, and Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 12.

    Jolie, 45, and Pitt, 57, have been embroiled in a bitter custody and divorce battle since Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, ending their jet-setting, movie star lifestyle together that made them one of Hollywood’s superstar couples.

    Soon after the couple’s split, it was revealed that Pitt was being investigated by the FBI and child welfare services in Los Angeles, related to reports he got “verbally abusive and physical with his children” on a private jet returning from Europe. A number of reports claimed that Maddox was the main focus of Pitt’s aggression on the flight. However, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services cleared Pitt in November 2016 after investigating the actor.

  • Man accuses ex-wife of arranging ‘incestuous marriage’ as revenge

    Man accuses ex-wife of arranging ‘incestuous marriage’ as revenge

    A man from a village in Sargodha has registered a complaint claiming that two half-siblings have tied the knot with the support of his divorced wife and her relatives.

    The father, Sooba Khan, had reportedly been married three times.

    He first got married to Khurshid Bibi in 1992. The wedding was part of an exchange marriage known as ‘Watta Satta’. Sooba Khan’s sister was married to Khurshid’s brother.

    After the marriage, Sooba and Khurshid had a son named Sikandar. Shortly after Sikandar’s birth, Sooba’s sister got divorced due to a family conflict and then Sooba also decided to divorce his wife Khurshid.

    Sooba then married Shahnaz Bibi and had a daughter named Zahra.

    However, Sooba got divorced from his second wife and later married for the third time with a woman he currently lives with.

    According to the complainant, around five months ago, Sikandar and Zahra got married to each other without informing him.

    Sooba told The Express Tribune that he learnt about the marriage after five months.

    He told that he came to know about the marriage via a WhatsApp message where he saw the marriage certificate of his two children.

    Sooba also alleged that his ex-wife Khurshid was majorly responsible for the marriage as she was telling others in the family that she had supported the act in revenge for the unfairness she was subjected to by Sooba.

    According to Sooba, Khurshid was also sending money to her son while also fully encouraging him.

  • ‘It’s better to be single and happy than marry the wrong person, says Navin Waqar

    ‘It’s better to be single and happy than marry the wrong person, says Navin Waqar

    Navin Waqar, in a recent Instagram interaction, opened up about her choice of staying single.

    Waqar, who shot to fame with Humsafar, was married to Azfar Ali. The couple parted ways in 2015, after three years of marriage. Since then Navin has chosen to stay single.

    Navin, while talking about her relationship status, said: “There is nothing wrong in staying single.”

    “It is one of the most important phases in a woman’s life where she is independent, where she is getting to live her dreams, achieve her goals, live life to the fullest,” she continued.

    Navin also expressed that she is frustrated with never-ending questions related to her marriage.

    “So many aunties ask me when I am getting married. And my usual reply to them is that it is better to be single and happy than marry the wrong person.”

    She further advised women to not listen “to any kind of trash talk that comes your way”.

    “Understand that life is a gift and you are on this earth to do beautiful and amazing things and you do not have to get married in order to achieve that,” said the actor. “If anybody who is single right now, I think its a great time to make a bucket list and achieve all the things you want.”

    “Single girls do not let it get to you,” she added. “Enjoy your life.”

    Navin was recently seen in ARY Digital’s Bewafa alongside Ali Rehman Khan and Ushna Shah. She is currently playing a prominent role in Hum TV’s horror series, Chalawa.

    Besides Navin, Mehwish Hayat had also said that a woman can be totally happy without marriage and children.

    “Let’s not let society dictate the way we want to lead our life,” Mehwish had said. “I have come to realise that it is possible for a girl in her early 30’s to be totally happy without being married and with children. It’ll happen when it will and not to some timetable.”

  • ‘Completely ridiculous’: Sanam Jung shuts down divorce rumours

    ‘Completely ridiculous’: Sanam Jung shuts down divorce rumours

    Contrary to what the rumour mills have been churning, Sanam Jung is not getting divorced and is all set to celebrate her sixth wedding anniversary next week.

    In a note posted to social media, Sanam trashed the rumours saying that she was not planning to post a clarification but concerned phone calls from family member prompted her to do so.

    “I would just like to clarify that there is no truth to these rumours about Qassam and I splitting up,” stated the actor. “This rumour started from a fan comment on my Instagram post and it’s completely ridiculous.”

    “I didn’t plan on posting any kind of clarification or explanation but Qassam and my family have been getting concerned phone calls almost daily about this pressing issue” she continued.

    Sanam further said: “Qassam and I are happily married and are about to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary next week. I would really appreciate it if people stop posting these false rumours.”

    “We look forward to spending the rest of our lives together,” she added.

    Sanam also requested her followers to not “instigate such rumours and claim their truth without any factual knowledge.”

    “This is a very serious accusation at someone’s family, and we have all been very distressed because of this silly rumour. Please have some empathy for our families as we are real people too!”, she concluded.

    Sanam and Syed Abdul Qassam Jafri, a pilot by profession, tied the knot in 2016. The two have a daughter together.

  • Divorce rates spike in Rawalpindi

    Divorce rates spike in Rawalpindi

    A noticeable surge in divorce cases has been reported in Rawalpindi. As per reports, as many as 550 couples parted ways, sought a divorce and received couples effectiveness certificates from the district court. In addition to that, over 250 couples have filed applications in MCR for issuance of khula certificates.

    As per details, over 2,900 divorce cases are still pending in Rawalpindi’s district courts.

    Talking to a local media outlet MCR Council Officer (CO) Noshia Afzal said: “The divorce ratio is increasing to an alarming level”. She further said that “it is unfortunate over 95 per cent of couples do not agree to live together insisting on the issuance of divorce effectiveness certificates.”

    Stating the reasons behind the increase in divorce cases, Afzal remarked that “poverty was not the reason for divorce, but a poor family structure, unacceptance, and misunderstandings.” She said that even highly educated couples were opting for divorce frequently, adding that people were not taking their marriages seriously.

    Meanwhile, 6,000 marriages were registered during this period.

    The lockdown period has seen a sharp rise in divorce cases worldwide. Here are some tips from renowned psychotherapist Omar Tauseef on how to keep your marriage intact in these testing times.

  • Rubya Chaudhry opens up about her divorce

    Rubya Chaudhry opens up about her divorce

    “Divorce doesn’t always mean sadness,” says Rubya Chaudhary, who recently opened up about her own experience.

    In an Instagram post, the model-turned-actor said: “I always knew people can be crass and ill-mannered, but there isn’t anything like experiencing it first-hand. I don’t even so much as humour these types usually, but in some situations one just HAS to put their foot down.”

    “I got married a few years ago, and then got divorced super quickly after,” she shared. “And that’s that really. Never really put my private life up for people to speculate about in the first place, but I don’t blame them for being curious about such matters. Well now you know.”

    “I’d also like to add that divorce doesn’t always mean sadness and death and hayay hayay yeh kya hogya! Hayayyy bachi ki zindagi tabaaah ho gai! It could also mean bachi ki zindagi tabaah honay say BACH gayee,” she remarked.

    “It also means a second chance at love, at life, at all the wonderfully amazing chapters that may have never actualized had you chosen the dead-end as your destiny. Choose to thrive. Choose divorce if it ain’t your scene and stop worrying about all the ill-mannered and crass people around,” she wrote.

    Concluding her post, Chaudhry shared that she didn’t have to share this but she chose to for “hundreds of thousands of women who are made to feel like they should be ashamed if their marriages didn’t work out, who are told time and again by their own husbands and in-laws that there’s something wrong with them, that they need to change themselves to fit into some mould of the perfect wife (whatever that is), who’re gaslighted continuously and stripped of their vibrant personalities.”

    Rubya tied the knot with an acclaimed musician Meekal Hasan in 2016.