Walk away and never look back: Atiqa Odho advises women to leave toxic relationships

Veteran actor Atiqa Odho has a career spanning over two decades to her credit, which includes several acclaimed titles such as Sitara Aur Mehrunissa and Humsafar. The celebrated star had previously shared her story of being in an abusive marriage. 

Now, in the light of Sara Inam's gruesome murder at the hands of her husband of three months, Shahnawaz Amir, Odho has taken to Instagram and shared her own ordeal once again while advising women to get out of toxic relationships. 

"I write this in the hope that it may help someone reading it realise that your life is in your own hands," the actor penned. "Having survived both physical and emotional abuse as a young woman, I feel it is my duty to help others get out of toxic relationships. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable regardless of who it's coming from. Walk away and never look back."

She went on to add, "If you allow anyone to mistreat you they will form a habit to do so and it only gets worse with time. The abuser gets addicted to such behaviour and never stops. Your life, your self worth and your dignity are precious so take control of them and be strong. Many will tell you things that weaken your own resolve but never listen to them."

She concluded, "Only listen to your gut and mind, not even your heart for it falters a lot. Trust me when I say this, you can do much much better so do not compromise and put your life at risk for anyone. Get out while you still can!"

Odho, who has been divorced twice in the past, reflected on her upbringing in an unstable environment last year in a tell all. “I made decisions that were okay at the time but didn’t work out in the long run. I was married at a very young age out of choice. I came from a broken home. An upper class, elite, but broken home, and I was always very starved for a father figure. I understood this later on,” she shared. 

Explaining how she doesn’t believe in imposing expiry dates on experiences, Odho added further,  “I married young and had children young, I went to school after kids. I did a lot of catching up in my life. I realised that I did all of these things because of childhood trauma or emotional needs, I understood it, so I needed to fix it. You can fix anything at any time. This timeframe is your own construct. No one is putting a timeline on your life.”

Extending advice to women in abusive relationships, Odho stressed the importance of valuing nothing else over the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your children. “If you are in an abusive relationship, you shouldn’t be in it regardless of the situation. If God has given you functioning limbs and intelligence, and if you can earn by sweeping floors even, which is an equally dignified form of labour, it’s better than being in an abusive relationship. No home with abuse is a stable home. Find a way to get out,” she said.