‘I was living a lie’: Mary Kom opens up on divorce, debt & her darkest fight

New Delhi, Jan 11: "What's the point of all that I achieved?" wondered M C Mary Kom as she opened up about the "darkest phase" of her life that included a painful divorce, near bankruptcy and a quiet emotional collapse.

A six-time world champion, an Olympic bronze-medallist and owner of numerous global titles and accolades, the 43-year-old Mary Kom said she has decided to speak up as the "slander has gone too far" on social media and in news reports, making a "mockery" of her situation.

"I have been called greedy by people who know nothing about what I went through. Yes, I am now separated from my husband Onler and it all happened more than two years ago," she told PTI in a telephonic interview from Ahmedabad, where she was attending the an IOA event.

Mary and fellow Manipuri Onler were married for over two decades and their divorce in 2023 shocked close family and acquaintances. “Things were fine till I was competing and had very little involvement in my finances but when I got injured before the 2022 Commonwealth Games, I realised I was living a lie,” she said.

"I was bed-ridden for several months, needed a walker after that. It was then that I realised that the man I had trusted was not what I believed him to be. I did not want it to be a spectacle for the world so I sought a divorce after several attempts to resolve it between us,” she continued.

She then informed her and Onler’s family that it cannot continue. “I was hoping that it would stay private but then a concerted attempt has been made to slander me for the last one year. I thought I would not respond but then my silence was being misread and the attacks kept increasing," she added.

The former Rajya Sabha member, who lives in Faridabad now, alleged she has been cheated of crores and lost possession of land she bought with her own hard-earned money.

"He kept taking loans, mortgaging my property which he transferred in his name. He borrowed money from locals in Churachandpur and to recover it from him, they have seized the land through underground groups," she said.

When contacted, Onler denied the charge and said he has "not been involved in any wrongdoing."

Mary expressed her anguish at being slandered in media. "...there are news reports that call me the greedy one, who forced him to contest elections (2022 in Manipur). I did not do any of it. Things which were only discussed between me and him are being fed to tabloids to paint me as the villain and my character is being questioned. I had to react at some point,” she said.

Mary Kom has three sons, including twins, and a daughter, who is the youngest. The diminutive flyweight boxer, who also heads the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes Commission, said she has managed to gather herself for her children and is now busy rebuilding her finances through endorsements and commercial appearances.

"I work hard for my kids, God knows how difficult it has been but can you afford to stay down when you have children? You have to pick yourself up," she said.

Nicknamed 'Magnificent Mary' by the international boxing body back in 2012, Mary Kom is arguably the most successful Indian boxer of all time.

Her tale of resilience, which includes a world title within months of coming back from a two-year maternity break in 2010, was turned into a biopic in 2013, starring Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra in the titular role.

But her own life has become far more dramatic and complicated since then. “But I fight on. My life is one long boxing bout it seems. But God is there, he will give me strength hopefully," quipped the boxer, who can no longer compete in the amateur circuit, having crossed 40.

PTI