Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has opened up about struggling with alcohol following his divorce from his first wife, Reena Dutta.

Appearing on an episode of Duologue with Barun Das, Khan said he was left emotionally shaken after Dutta moved out with their children, leaving him alone. He said the upheaval pushed him towards alcohol, despite having been a teetotaller earlier.

“I was a teetotaller until I went through my first divorce with Reena. And then, on the first day when she left with the kids and I was alone at home, I couldn’t handle my emotions at that time. I had never, I used to never drink alcohol. I had drunk once or twice for a couple of scenes, but that was only because I had to drink for the scene. I mean, I was not into alcohol at all,” Aamir said.

“That night, I had alcohol at home to serve guests and all that, so I started drinking. And for the next one and a half years, I drank almost a bottle a night. Now that’s really extreme, from a person who was a teetotaller to someone who consumes a bottle a night is very extreme,” he added.

Aamir had earlier spoken about the emotional impact of the separation during an appearance on Koffee with Karan. “Reena and I were married for 16 long years. When we split up, it was traumatic for us and our families. We tried to deal with the situation as best as we could. Reena and I did not lose love or respect for each other post our split,” he had told Karan Johar.

Aamir and Reena tied the knot in 1986 and separated in 2002. They have two children, Junaid Khan and Ira Khan. Aamir later married filmmaker Kiran Rao in 2005. The couple separated in 2021 and continue to co-parent their son, Azad Rao Khan.

On his 60th birthday in March last year, Aamir introduced his girlfriend, Gauri Spratt, to the media.

On the work front, Aamir returned to the big screen last year with Sitaare Zameen Par. He also made a cameo appearance in Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos.