After 15 years of marriage, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has issued an official statement announcing his divorce from his wife Kiran Rao.

Khan and Rao have both issued a joint statement announcing their split. According to the Times of India, the former pair wants to start a new chapter in their life “not as husband and wife, but as co-parents and family for each other.”

Also Read: Salman Khan filed defamation suit against critic KRK

The former couple stated that they will continue to be committed parents to their son Azad, as well as collaborators on projects including the Paani Foundation, a non-profit organisation they created together.

“We have shared a lifetime of adventures, pleasure, and laughter in these 15 wonderful years together, and our relationship has only grown in trust, respect, and love,” the statement said.

“We’d like to start a new chapter in our lives as co-parents and family to each other, rather than as husband and wife. We began a planned divorce some time ago and are now ready to formalise this arrangement of living apart but sharing our lives like an extended family does “They stated.

“We continue to be committed parents to our son Azad, whom we will nurture and raise together.” We will also continue to collaborate on films, the Paani Foundation, and other initiatives that we are enthusiastic about.

Read More: Pearl V Puri, Indian actor arrested for alleged rape

Thank you to our family and friends for their unwavering support and understanding of our relationship’s growth, without which we would not have felt so confident in taking this leap.

We ask our well-wishers for well thoughts and blessings and hope that you, like us, will regard our divorce as the beginning of a new adventure. Thank you and best wishes, Kiran and Aamir.”

Aamir Khan and Rao celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in December, thus the announcement came as a surprise.

Khan said in March that he would no longer use social media and that all contact will be handled through his production business.