Shefali Shah Reveals She Chose Living Alone Over First Marriage: 'This Can Kill Me'

Actor Shefali Shah is not sugarcoating her past anymore. In a recent podcast conversation, the Delhi Crime actress spoke openly about her first marriage and why she chose to live alone instead of staying

in a relationship that was draining her emotionally.

Speaking during Spotlight Sessions, a podcast shared on Zoom’s YouTube channel, Shefali looked back at a phase that reshaped her understanding of self-worth. Instead of framing it as heartbreak, she spoke about survival, clarity and the courage to walk away when staying felt dangerous to her sense of self.
When staying became harder than leaving

Looking back at her first marriage to Harsh Chhaya, Shefali admitted that no one had prepared her for the emotional toll of an unhappy relationship. The realisation, she said, came slowly and then all at once.
She shared, “Nobody told me that you are enough. You don’t need a husband, a friend, a brother, a sister to be complete. You are enough. So if you have great relationships, fantastic. But if you don’t, that’s not going to determine your value. Nobody told me that. And obviously, you go through things and you realise it yourself. It comes to a point where it’s make or break for you of yourself. That is when the realisation dawns. It may be happening every day, but then there’s that one moment when you realise, ‘Okay, this can kill me. I can’t do this anymore.’”
Choosing the risk of being alone
For Shefali, the turning point came with a simple but unsettling question from a close friend. The answer, she said, surprised even her. She added, “For me, this realisation came after my first marriage. A close friend once asked me, ‘What if you never find love again? Would you take that risk or stay?’ I replied that I would still take the risk. If I have to spend my life alone, I would choose that. I cannot remain in a situation that doesn’t bring me joy and confidence or make me feel valued. That’s when I decided to move out and live alone for the first time, having always lived with my parents. As you age, you begin to care less. You become weary of trying to please everyone. That’s when I reached a state of enlightenment, realizing that I am not pizza; I can’t satisfy everyone.”
Life after the hard choice
Years later, Shefali found stability again. She married filmmaker Vipul Shah in 2000 in a simple ceremony. The couple have two sons, Aryaman and Maurya.