Neha Kakkar's ex-boyfriend Himansh Kohli on their break-up: It was her decision to move on...I was made the villain

It seems like Himansh Kohli has decided to get back at ex girlfriend Neha Kakkar by suggesting he is happy with who he is, and he doesn't care about the perceptions people have about him. Sharing a post where he can be seen on a beach in Dubai, Himansh wrote, "The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are. - GoldieHawn." After Himansh opened up about his breakup, Neha had then lashed out in her post on social media. She said she is happy in her life and unaffected by those who are fake, jealous and using her name.

While it's been difficult for Neha Kakkar, who is seen as the judge on Indian Idol 11, to move on after her break-up, it's not been easy for Himansh Kohli either. The actor has now opened up for the first time about his break-up with singer Neha Kakkar and how it's been one of the most difficult phases in his life. (Excerpts from Roshni Olivera's interview in BT)...

In his recent interview to BT, Himansh shared that he is referred to as Neha Kakka's ex-boyfriend by many. While he is okay with it, he surely doesn't want people to negate the work he has done. He said, "I understand that; I have been in a relationship with the person, and it’s normal for everyone to link me with her. But sometimes, I feel bad because there is an identity that I made for myself in 2011 when I started out as an actor with the TV show, 'Humse Hai Life'." (Photo: Instagram)

Himansh revealed that the two of them met in 2017 during the promotions of his film, where she sang one of the songs. Himansh added that the two of them 'clicked', and started to go out. In fact, they were together for almost a year before calling it quits. Himansh said that he was serious about the relationship and they had plans to get married at some point in the future. (Photo: Instagram)

For the uninitiated, after Neha and Himansh parted ways, the former had posted online stories about how broken she was. Neha had written, "Mujhe pata nahi tha iss duniya mein itne burey log bhi hote hain.. Khair... I know I’m a celeb..I’m not supposed to write all this.. but I’m human too.. and aaj kuch zyada hi toot gayi, isliye couldn’t control my feelings." But Himansh clarified that it wasn't an ugly break-up, but the speculations made it so. (Photo: Instagram)

He said, "Today, things have settled down, but yes, there was a time when the entire world was cursing me on social media. That was when we had just split towards the end of 2018 and she had put up this post online. Nobody wanted to know the real story and I was made out to be the villain. It was very upsetting because I wasn’t saying anything and people were drawing their own conclusions based on what she was putting out. She cried on TV shows and everyone believed that I was to blame. I wanted to cry, too, but then we tend to put up a brave front. At the end of the day though, we are human. Mann mera bhi bahut karta tha ki main kuch kahoon, there were times when I would type things to post on social media, but would decide to wait for some time, and a few hours later, I would change my mind because I felt this is the same person who I had loved, how can I say anything against her. That’s not my definition of love. I never even asked her why she was doing that to me, even though it hurt me very much." (Photo: Instagram)

Himansh didn't speak a word then, which he considers a choice. He said, "All I can say is that she didn’t want to continue and so, we mutually decided to separate. It was her decision to move on in life and I respected that. But then in no time, the story took a turn. Each time she put up a post, I faced a backlash." (Photo: Instagram)

Himansh had to face a lot of criticism from Neha's fans after she posted about their break-up online. The actor shared what really upset him was her accusation of using her. He explained, "Four films of mine had released before I met her and I was making money. In fact, while the two of us were together, I didn’t do much work because I would travel with her for her shows, so that we could spend time together. I actually let a lot of work pass in those months. People also said that I had cheated on her and that’s why things ended. Thankfully, a few months later, she cleared the air and said I hadn’t cheated on her. Thereafter things got better." (Photo: Instagram)

He said, "I have put it all behind me now. In fact, it has made me stronger and I guess people respect me even more today and tell me that they appreciate the way I handled it all. I have always respected my relationship while it was on or even after it ended. I haven’t deleted any of the things that I put up on social media while we were dating because I believe that two people may move on in life, but they don’t necessarily have to erase good memories." (Photo: Instagram)