Celina Jaitly, the former Miss India and Bollywood actress, in a very personal way, recounts a traumatic event that forced her to choose between her respect and her kids. What was a getaway from a marriage in Austria that was claimed to be abusive has now transformed into a long and sad process of getting her three children, fighting for her own premarital property and going from a life of luxury to one of living. This is her story— unprocessed, pitiful and a proof of the strength that one needs when one is overnight deprived of everything.
Celina Jaitly shared a heartwarming post on her Instagram handle, and wrote, “I Lost My Children the Day I Chose to Leave Austria to Protect My Dignity, My Children & My Brother This is for all the men & women who reached out with their stories of abusive marriages. You are not alone. 11 Oct 2025, at 1 AM, I left Austria with the assistance of neighbours to escape what I had experienced as systematic oppression & abuse. I was compelled to return to India with only a minimal sum of money in my bank account to navigate the rest of my life.”
Adding how in India, she had to approach the court, just to enter her own house, she said, “In India, I had to approach the court simply to enter & access my own house, a property purchased by me in 2004, long before my marriage, which my husband is now seeking to claim as his own. In order to do all this, I also had to take a big loan. Despite joint custody & a subsisting order of the Austrian Family Court, I am presently DENIED ANY COMMUNICATION with my 3 children & I am heartbroken! There has been repeated interference with my children’s access to me, including exposure to selective media narratives, resulting in obstruction of regular parent child communication, as well as brainwashing & intimidation to compel them to say things against me, a mother who has done nothing but care for them since the day they were born, moving from one country to another to support the career of their father. In early Sept, I was served a divorce notice by my husband on the pretext of receiving a gift ordered for our 15th wedding anniversary at the local post office, to which I was driven by him.”
She further added, “THEREAFTER, I REPEATEDLY & LEGALLY SOUGHT AN AMICABLE SEPARATION IN GOOD FAITH, PRIORITIZING ONLY THE WELFARE OF THE CHILDREN. THESE EFFORTS WERE MET WITH DEMANDS RELATING TO MY PREMARITAL ASSETS & UNREASONABLE CONDITIONS INTENDED TO STRIP ME OF MY FREEDOM & DIGNITY EVEN AFTER DIVORCE. Overnight, I was required to justify my role as a mother, as a parent, despite being their mother & the primary caregiver to my children. My entire world was snatched from me in one moment.”
Celina’s odyssey brings out the harsh reality of the situation that getting away from an abuser is just the starting point of a longer, more painful struggle—the one that is comprised of legal battles that are fought across the world, losing all one’s financial resources, and the unbearable pain of not being in touch with one’s children. While she battles for her right to contact her three children and the preservation of her property, which was acquired long before marriage, her public giving of support secures the hope and union of victims in the same situation as hers. Her words could not be any more explicit: no mother or father should be made to decide between their honour and their kids.
What Happened?
By the year 2026, actress Celina Jaitly is caught up in an intense legal and personal struggle that began with her return to India late in 2025. A domestic violence and criminal complaint has been filed by her in Mumbai against Peter Haag, her estranged husband, who, she says, has been abusing her physically, emotionally, and sexually for 15 years. Besides, she has also accused him of coercing her into transferring properties when she was grieving and draining her income. She is seeking ₹100 crore in compensation and ₹10 lakh per month in maintenance, while the next hearing in court has been scheduled for January 27, 2026. On the other hand, Celina is also engaged in the fight to secure the release of her brother, Major (Retd.). Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, who has been detained by the UAE on “national security” charges since September 2024. The Delhi High Court has recently ordered the appointment of a nodal officer to facilitate communication with him after 15 months of silence. Moreover, Celina has expressed her concern about being cut off from her three kids, who live in Austria under their father’s custody.
