How Aamir Khan fell in love with Gauri Spratt after 25 years of friendship

Aamir and Gauri first met over two decades ago, but life soon pulled them in different directions. They lost touch for years before fate intervened once again.

Their paths crossed again through Aamir's cousin, Nuzhat Khan. What began as catching up after years apart gradually turned into regular conversations, a deep friendship, and eventually a relationship built on trust, understanding, and shared values.

Rather than an instant romance, their bond grew naturally over time. Aamir has often spoken candidly about how unexpected this relationship was.

Speaking on Raj Shamani's podcast, he described their journey simply, "Gauri and I met by mistake, and we connected, and we became friends, and love happened."

The actor admitted that after his marriages to Reena Dutta and Kiran Rao, he never imagined he would fall in love again. "Before I met Gauri, I felt like I had aged, and who will I find at this age? Also, my therapy started, and I understood that I need to love myself first and make myself healthy. So, I worked on that."

The relationship, he says, arrived at a time when he wasn't actively looking for one.

Although the couple had been together privately, Aamir chose his 60th birthday celebrations in March 2025 to introduce Gauri publicly.

Speaking about the women who have shaped his life, he reflected on his previous marriages with gratitude before explaining what made his relationship with Gauri special. "I've been fortunate to be in a strong relationship. Like, Reena and I spent 16 years together, and then Kiran and I spent 16 years together, and in many ways we are still together. I've learnt so much, and it's been very enriching. With Gauri, I feel settled."

Unlike many who know Aamir as one of Indian cinema's biggest stars, Gauri came into the relationship with very little connection to Bollywood.

Growing up in Bengaluru, she had watched only 'Lagaan' and 'Dil Chahta Hai'. Her limited exposure to Hindi films meant she saw Aamir simply as the person she was getting to know.

During one of her first public interactions, she summed up the qualities she wanted in a partner, "kind, a gentleman, and just caring."

Aamir couldn't resist responding with his trademark humour, "After all that, you found me?"

Long before wedding plans became public, Aamir had already made it clear how seriously he viewed their relationship.

He shared that, for him, their commitment had already gone beyond formal labels. "Gauri and I are really serious about each other and we are in a very committed space. We are partners. We are together. Marriage is something, I mean, in my heart, I'm already married to her. So whether we formalise it or not is something that I will decide as we go along."

He later said the same sentiment during his appearance on 'Too Much With Twinkle and Kajol,' saying that genuine commitment comes from emotional connection rather than legal paperwork.