Nagarjuna reacts to Samantha Akkineni-Naga Chaitanya’s ‘unfortunate’ split, says she ‘will always be dear’ to the family

Nagarjuna Akkineni has issued a statement after his son Naga Chaitanya and daughter-in-law Samantha Akkineni announced their separation. Taking to Twitter, he said that she ‘will always be dear’ to the family.

“With a heavy heart let me say this! Whatever happened between Sam and Chay is very unfortunate. What happens between a wife and husband is very personal.

Sam and Chay both are dear to me. My family will always cherish the moments spent with Sam and she will always be dear to us! May God bless them both with strength,” he wrote.

Earlier in the day, Chaitanya and Samantha shared a note on their respective Instagram pages, confirming their split. They said that they have decided to ‘pursue (their) own paths’ and will continue to share a ‘special bond’. The announcement comes less than a week before their fourth wedding anniversary.

“To all our well wishers. After much deliberation and thought Chay and I have decided to part ways as husband and wife to pursue our own paths.

We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was the very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us.

We request our fans, well wishers and the media to support us during this difficult time and give us the privacy we need to move on. Thanking you for your support,” Samantha’s post read.

Chaitanya and Sam, who worked together in films such as Ye Maaya Chesave, Autonagar Surya and Majili, got married in October 2017.

Rumours of their break-up began doing the rounds after she dropped the Akkineni surname from her social media accounts and changed her name to ‘S’. She was also nowhere to be seen in the pictures from the recent success party of his film, Love Story, adding fuel to the fire.