He was not the man I believed him to be, says Mary Kom on her divorce

Mary Kom opened up about what she describes as the darkest phase of her life, marked by a painful divorce, financial distress and sustained public slander, saying she felt compelled to speak as her silence was being misread.

“What’s the point of all that I achieved?” wondered Mary Kom as she spoke to PTI, reflecting on a period she says left her emotionally broken despite a career filled with global honours.

A six-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Mary Kom said the crisis began after she was injured ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She was bedridden for months and later needed a walker, a phase that forced her to confront realities she had long ignored.

“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 it was



during this period that she lost trust in her husband, Karung Onkholer, with whom she had been married for over two decades. The two separated more than two years ago and were divorced in 2023.

“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 said both families were informed and understood her decision, but matters worsened when details of her private life began appearing in news reports and on social media.

“I have been called greedy by people who know nothing about what I went through.”

Mary Kom alleged she was cheated out of crores and lost possession of the land bought with her own earnings. She claimed loans were taken against her property and land in Manipur, which was seized by local groups seeking recovery. Her husband, Karung Onkholer, has reportedly denied all wrongdoing in the same report.