Delnaaz Irani reveals why she and Percy Karkaria don’t plan to marry despite living together for 10 years, 'Marriage certificate is not important, the person is'

Delnaaz Irani is in a happy relationship with DJ Percy Karkaria, but the actress isn’t looking forward to marrying him anytime soon. Earlier, Delnaaz was married to actor Rajev Paul, but their marriage of fourteen years ended in divorce.

Despite being judged for dating someone nine years younger, Delnaaz continues to live life on her own terms. In a recent interview, she opened up about why she and Percy have decided not to tie the knot even after nearly a decade of living together.

“It takes a lot of courage to trust again”

Reflecting on her past and her emotional journey, Delnaaz told Hindi Rush, “Percy is also a divorcee. He too had a very bitter divorce. Although initially, he was very keen on getting married, my apprehension was strong — also because he’s nine years younger than me.

It might sound silly, but when you’re emotionally broken and someone new enters your life, it takes time to understand them and to trust again.”She further said, “It takes a lot of courage to gather yourself and love a person again. I always say I don’t even want to label the relationship we have because it’s so pure. For him, Delnaaz became his whole world. For him, I’m not an actress or anything else — I’m just me.”

“Percy brought back my laughter”

Delnaaz credited Percy for bringing stability and happiness back into her life.

“He’s like an angel who took care of me, brought back my laughter, gave me happiness, support, and removed my insecurities. He made me believe in love again. To give a name to this relationship feels unnecessary. We’re life partners and soulmates.”She added that for her, marriage is not a measure of commitment.“Even if I sign a paper today, that won’t change anything — because, for me, he’s already my husband. My heart and soul are with Percy.”

“We were told not to get married”

Delnaaz also revealed how her spiritual beliefs influenced their decision.“I became very superstitious after everything that happened. Both of us believe in astrology and tarot cards, and interestingly, everyone we met said the same thing — ‘Stay the way you are, don’t get married.’ It’s like when a doctor tells you not to do something for your own good. For me, marriage felt like that stamp that could change the energy between us, and I didn’t want to risk losing Percy.”She added, “I don’t have a degree from IIT or IIM, but I know what’s truly important — not the marriage certificate, but the person who’s stood by me all these years.”

“Society didn’t support me when I was broken”

Addressing the constant societal pressure, Delnaaz said she has learned to ignore judgments.“When we go through a bad phase, who really comes to support us? No one. My true friends and my immediate family — my mom, brothers, nephews, nieces — they’ve always stood by me. That’s my real support system. What is society? And where is this society when you’re emotionally broken or struggling for work?”She admitted she once worried about what people might think. “Even I used to think like that: he’s nine years younger, I’m divorced — what will people say? But I never imagined I’d get divorced or live with someone without marriage. It wasn’t part of my upbringing. My parents always said, if there’s a relationship, it must be maintained.”

“Sometimes separation is the wiser choice”

Reflecting on her past marriage, Delnaaz said, “If two people are unhappy together, it’s better to part ways. If every day feels full of friction and negativity, it’s unhealthy for both. That’s why my ex-husband and I decided to separate. It wasn’t easy, but it was the wise thing to do. We both come from strong, value-based families, and neither of us wanted our marriage to end. But after trying and thinking deeply, that was the decision we had to make.

”