When Karisma Kapoor opened up about the ‘traumatic’ period after split with Abhishek Bachchan, revealed why she withdrew into a shell: ‘I was forced to…’

She added, “The beginning of this year was traumatic for me. I wouldn’t wish any girl to go through it. I was forced to deal with my hurt and pain on my own. I guess time is the best healer. Though I have been through a lot, I have come to terms with whatever has happened. All I will say is, whatever is destined is bound to happen. I was emotionally unprepared to confront my problems. Life deals you different cards. You have to just go with the shuffle.”

Karisma Kapoor with her then-fiancé Abhishek Bachchan and his mother Jaya Bachchan at the premiere of Refugee. The movie marked the debut of Abhishek as well as Karisma’s sister Kareena Kapoor. (Express archive photo)

Though there were rumours that the engagement was called off due to alleged differences between her mother, yesteryear actor Babita Kapoor, and the Bachchans, Karisma maintained that it was her family that kept her emotionally anchored during those trying times. “I couldn’t have come out my trauma if it wasn’t for my parents (Babita and Randhir Kapoor), sister (Kareena Kapoor), my dadiji (grandmother Krishna Raj Kapoor), my two buas (aunts Rima Jain and Ritu Nanda) and my close friends.”

Karisma Kapoor eventually tied the knot with industrialist Sunjay Kapur, but they parted ways just over a decade later while being parents to two children. Sunjay passed away on June 12, 2025.