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Rumours were rife about Shahroz Sabzwari and Syra Shahroz getting divorced over the weekend and speculation about the causes and implications was high.

Shahroz finally spoke out and clarified that the couple has been separated — not divorced — for at least six months, and denied allegations of cheating on his wife with model Sadaf Kanwal.

In the midst of the hearsay and unconfirmed gossip on social media, something important was lost — respect for the right to a personal life.

Anoushey Ashraf pointed it out most succinctly on Instagram:

“Social media should be the first to apologise for ‘breaking’ the news,” wrote the host, VJ, actor, model and designer.

“I know our lives are not private, but our feelings, families, kids etc exist in this world too. They too get severely affected. They print everything [whether] it’s real or not.”

“As an artist, colleague and someone who knows you all, am just sending you strength, hugs and hope you can ride this difficult time being unaffected by these vicious accusations, assumptions and articles that [affect] lives, families, mental health etc to an extent many don’t understand, including our publications.”

“My love to you I hope whatever you’ll choose for yourself brings peace, privacy and respect as you deserve,” said Anoushey.

Shahroz quelled the rumours earlier, saying, "They’ve dragged Sadaf Kanwal into it and I’ve only known her for a month and that too, just as a friend. Syra left the house 6 months ago, it was her decision. That said, there's been no khula or divorce; we're just separated at the moment."

Sadaf corroborated his statement, saying the pair had met at an event where they performed together after Syra and Shahroz had already been separated for five months. “Shahroz and I are just friends! We met a month ago!”