Celina Jaitly recalls twins reading divorce papers, alleges she was told to work to access children

Actor Celina Jaitly has shared details of one of the most painful moments in her ongoing divorce battle with estranged husband Peter Haag, revealing that her twin sons ended up reading her divorce notice because it was written in German. She also claimed she was later told to find a job in Austria if she wanted access to her children.

‘My twins had to read my divorce notice’

Speaking to India Today, Jaitly said she received the divorce papers on what was meant to be the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary. According to the actor, her husband accompanied her to the post office to collect the documents but declined to translate them, despite her not being fluent in German.

Initially believing the letter was related to municipal or residency matters, she returned home and asked her twin sons to help her understand it.

“My twins had to read that terrible divorce notice,” she recalled, adding that the document contained allegations that she had failed to meet her husband’s needs and cited the irretrievable breakdown of their marriage. “I thought it was a joke,” she said.

‘I don’t want anything, just my assets and joint custody’

Jaitly said the judge encouraged the couple to pursue an amicable separation, prompting her to send a settlement proposal to her husband’s lawyers.

According to the actor, she sought only the return of her assets, reimbursement of money she had invested and the continuation of joint custody of their children.

She further alleged that when she later approached her husband to discuss the matter, she was told she would need to find a job in Austria if she wanted access to her children.

Recalling the conversation, Jaitly claimed she was told she could work as a supermarket cleaner, with the remark that such jobs were not looked down upon there.

Ongoing legal battle

Jaitly married Haag in 2010. The couple have three children after losing one of their twins to a heart condition in 2017.

In November 2025, the actor filed a case against Haag under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, alleging sustained domestic violence. According to reports, the Mumbai Police subsequently registered an FIR against him. She has also sought maintenance and compensation under the Act and alleged that she has been denied access to her children despite a joint custody arrangement.

In May, Mumbai-based law firm Semwal & Co. said that Haag and his father, Wolfgang J. Haag, had served separate legal notices on Jaitly. The notices accused her of making defamatory statements through interviews and social media during the ongoing divorce and child custody proceedings.

The family denied all allegations of abuse, harassment and intimidation, objected to repeated public references to the couple’s children, and demanded the removal of the alleged defamatory content, a public apology and warned of possible civil and criminal action if those demands were not met.