Shoaib wishes Sania on birthday; remains absent in celebration photos
What's the story
Tennis star Sania Mirza is celebrating her 36th birthday on Tuesday. Photos of her birthday bash with filmmaker Farah Khan and singer Ananya Birla and several others surfaced online. However, what caught the attention of her fans was the absence of her husband and former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in pictures. This has further added more fuel to the rumor about the couple's divorce.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Mirza and Malik tied the knot back in 2010 and welcomed their son Izhaan Mirza Malik in October 2018. Recently, reports about their divorce surfaced and it was alleged that all is not well between the two. Neither of them has yet issued any statement regarding the divorce rumors. And this latest development came at a time when fans have been expecting an answer.
Details
Here's how rumors about their separation started spreading
Earlier this month, Mirza shared a Story on Instagram which spoke about "broken hearts." Right after she shared the Story, media reports about their separation started surfacing on social media. In fact, some media reports surfaced in Pakistan saying that Malik allegedly cheated on Mirza which was the reason behind their separation. However, Malik has shared his birthday wish on social media.
Reports
Why did they not announce the news officially?
Shoaib Malik reportedly cheated on Mirza with a Pakistani model and actor Ayesha Oman, whom he met during a photo shoot in 2021. A member of Malik's team, who is also the couple's close friend also confirmed in an interview with Inside Sport that they aren't together anymore. Reportedly, they did not announce the separation officially as they have signed contracts with shows.
Development
Mirza-Malik's talk show raised questions
Meanwhile, an OTT streaming platform Uruduflix shared a poster of a talk show titled The Mirza Malik Show featuring the couple after reports about their separation surfaced. While some fans opined that the couple's whole separation issue was a publicity stunt for the show's promotion, others didn't agree with the claim as the couple did not share it on their social media handles.