Television actress Akanksha Chamola is drawing plenty of attention right now for the deeply personal revelations she has been making inside the reality show Lock Upp. During the very premiere episode, she stunned everyone by announcing that she is heading toward a divorce from her husband, popular actor Gaurav Khanna, after a marriage that is now close to a decade old. The announcement immediately set off a wave of speculation among fans and in entertainment circles about what could have gone wrong between a couple who had always appeared solid together. Since then, inside the Lock Upp house, Akanksha has continued to speak with unusual openness about her married life, the bitterness that crept into it over time, and the personal beliefs that have shaped her choices around love, sexuality and family.
How Her Sexuality Has Evolved
In a recent episode of Lock Upp, Akanksha had a candid conversation with fellow contestant Varun Yadav about her sexuality and her current state of mind. When Varun asked whether she would ever consider getting married again in the future, she gave a firm and immediate no. She admitted that the idea of marriage now fills her with a deep sense of fear that has settled permanently into her mind. Staying on the subject of sexuality, she went on to make a fresh disclosure, revealing that she has now become completely asexual. Akanksha explained that a person's sexuality is not something fixed for life, and that it keeps shifting through the different phases a person goes through. She said that right now, in the middle of her divorce, she does not feel any physical attraction toward anyone at all, neither toward men nor toward women.
Why She Never Wanted Children
Akanksha also opened up about how she views the purpose of marriage and about her feelings on having children. She said one of the biggest reasons her marriage broke down is that she never developed a desire to become a mother, something she describes as a maternal instinct that simply never awakened in her. In her view, most people choose to get married mainly so they can carry their family forward and have children of their own. She was candid enough to say that her husband Gaurav is not at all wrong for wanting a child, calling his desire completely valid. However, it was only after she took part in Bigg Boss that she truly understood just how strong that desire of his was, and realised she was not in a position to fulfil it. Rather than leave Gaurav stuck in confusion or under pressure because of her, she chose to separate from him.
Her Attraction Toward Women
Talking about her life before she married Gaurav Khanna, Akanksha had earlier revealed on the show that she has always identified as bisexual and had been in relationships with girls before her marriage. She said she is very fond of women, feels naturally drawn toward them, and considers being around women a safe space for herself. Referring to how society still tends to be patriarchal, she said the comfort she has received from her mother and sisters ever since childhood is what kept pulling her toward what she called feminine energy. Pushing back against the common notion that women cannot be true friends to one another or that they are inherently jealous of each other, Akanksha said she has never carried such feelings herself, and that for her, every woman is beautiful and represents pure love.
The Akanksha and Gaurav Love Story
The romance between Akanksha Chamola and Gaurav Khanna has long been counted among the most talked about love stories in the television industry. Akanksha has appeared in popular shows including Santoshi Maa, Ye Hai Aashiqui and Crime Patrol over the years. She and Gaurav first met each other during an audition, and it was there that their relationship began. After dating for some time, the two got married on 24 November 2016 in a grand, three day celebration held in Gaurav's hometown of Kanpur. Nearly 10 years after that wedding, the news that the couple is now going their separate ways has come as a genuine shock to their admirers, many of whom had long viewed them as one of television's more stable couples.
