Months after filing a case against her husband Peter Haag, Celina Jaitly once again spoke out about the emotional realities of surviving an abusive marriage. The actress recently answered a question often asked of survivors: “Why didn’t you leave?” – sharing a deeply personal reflection on social media.
celina ponders why survivors don’t leave immediately
In November 2025, Celina filed a case against her husband, Austrian businessman and hotelier Peter Haag, before the Andheri Judicial Magistrate First Class Court, Mumbai. In her petition, she accused him of domestic violence, cruelty and manipulation, while also asking for Rs 50 million and other financial compensation for the losses she claims to have suffered.
On Saturday, the actress took to Instagram to address the complex question many survivors face.“Why does someone successful and educated stay in an abusive marriage for 15 years?” she wrote. “I’ve asked myself that question. Why didn’t I walk away after the first incident? Or the second… third. Was I blind? Weak? Used to it?”Celina explained that abuse often starts subtly and not with immediate violence.“The truth is harder than people think. Abuse rarely starts with violence. It starts with love. Intensity. Promises. The slow building of dependency. You think you’re building a future. Then something changes,” she wrote.She added that the cycle of apologies and hope often keeps survivors trapped emotionally. “There are good days. Apologies. Tears. Changes that almost seem real. Hope, and hope is addictive. You start surviving in little windows of it.”
‘Mental and verbal abuse doesn’t leave bruises’
The actor also spoke about the psychological impact of abuse, explaining how trust gradually erodes.“Mental and verbal abuse leaves no bruises. Trust quietly erodes. You adjust. Then you adjust too much. Then you question yourself,” she wrote, adding that fear of breaking up a family, hurting children or starting over often complicates the decision to leave.Celina said motherhood adds another layer of responsibility and hesitation. Referring to her children as her “4Gs: four great gifts,” she explained that decisions were no longer up to her alone.“You protect childhood. Stability. What you think is security. Achievements do not protect you from manipulation. Titles do not prevent gaslighting. Law enforcement does not prevent private erosion,” he wrote.
‘Abuse is not always physical’
The actress also emphasized that abuse can take many forms beyond physical violence.“#Abuse is not always physical. Sometimes it is silence. Humiliation. Control. Isolation. Making you doubt your own memory,” she wrote, adding that she had experienced multiple forms of it.He urged people to reconsider the way society frames the issue. “Instead of asking, ‘Why didn’t you leave?’ Ask yourself what keeps smart, successful men and women trapped for years. Not incapacity…psychological warfare.” Ending his note with a message of solidarity, he wrote: “If you’re still there, I see you. If you’re gone, I respect you. If you’re quietly preparing, I understand. Strength doesn’t always mean leaving immediately. Sometimes it looks like surviving as long as you can.”Celina married Haag in 2010. The couple has three children: twins Winston and Viraaj, born in 2012, and Arthur, born in 2017. Another son, Shamsher, died due to heart disease.