Days after announcing divorce, Tamil actor Jayam Ravi addressed the rumours of him dating singer Kenishaa Francis at a press event in Chennai. Soon after his divorce announcement, his ex-wife Aarti claimed that the announcement was made “without her knowledge and consent”, prompting speculation about their conjugal rift. Now, at the audio launch event of his upcoming film Brother, Jayam Ravi told media, “Live and let live. Don’t involve anyone in this. Let personal life be personal. Kenishaa is someone who has come up on her own. She has done over 600 stage shows. She has saved so many lives. She is a healer, and a licensed psychologist.” Jayam also said he has a plan to start a healing centre with Kenishaa in future. “We have plans of starting a healing centre to help a lot of people. Please don’t spoil it. Nobody can spoil it too. Don’t involve her unnecessarily,” said the actor. Rumours of Jayam Ravi’s alleged affair with Kenishaa Francis surfaced after a few Tamil magazines claimed that they often meet in Goa and they are in a relationship.

Earlier, Jayam Ravi mentioned in his note he hasn’t taken the decision of divorce in haste. He wrote, “After much thought, reflections and discussions, I have taken the difficult decision to proceed with the dissolution of marriage with Aarti. This decision was not made out of haste and it stems from personal reasons that I believe are in the best interests of everyone involved.”

Requesting fans to respect his privacy and not to speculate about his marriage, Jayam Ravi wrote, “In light of this, I hereby kindly request all of you to respect our privacy as well as that of our family members during this difficult time and appeal to all of you to refrain from making any assumptions, rumors or allegations in this regard and let the matter remain private.”

Aarti Ravi wrote in her long Instagram note that the decision left her and her children “blindsided.” Aarti began her note with these words, “I am deeply shocked and saddened by the recent public announcement regarding our marriage, which was made without my knowledge or consent. After 18 years of shared history, I believe that such a significant matter should be handled with grace, respect, and privacy that it deserves.”

Jayam Ravi, son of veteran film editor A Mohan, is known for films such as Jayam, Daas, Mazhai, Bommarillu, Peranmai, Romeo Juliet, Bhoomi and Siren. For the unversed, Aarti is the daughter of television producer Sujatha Vijayakumar. Jayam Ravi and Arti are parents to two sons, Aarav and Ayaan.