Irakli Addresses Pregnant Mistress and Ex-Wife Split
In the finale of «Bet on Love» (16+), the story of Irakli Pirtskhalava and Elena Grebenshchikova looked almost flawless. Twelve years after their divorce, the musician again proposed to his ex-wife. However, by the time the show aired, this romantic twist no longer matched reality.
Filming ended about six months before the broadcast. After returning home, Irakli and Elena discussed their shared future and realized they had different visions of family. The singer wanted more children and a traditional family structure, while Grebenshchikova decided to focus on her own career.
The ex-spouses couldn«t explain immediately: until the show ended, they had to maintain the suspense and not reveal the subsequent turn in their relationship. In an interview with StarHit, the artist admitted that the silence complicated an already unpleasant situation.
«We remained silent for a long time because we couldn«t betray the beloved show we took part in and are incredibly grateful to. The plot that developed there was filmed six months ago. It wasn»t easy for us: it«s unpleasant for Lena that people write that she was supposedly cheated on, and it»s unpleasant for me because that is unacceptable to me.»
«I deeply respect Lena, I love her very much, but after the project ended, when we came home and sat down at the table, we talked about how we see our future. And I realized we have different views on what a family should be,» Pirtskhalava said.
The decision was made back in early April. Instead of a new marriage, Irakli and Elena chose a friendly union, co-parenting their sons, and the possibility of building separate lives. On screen, the artist was still fighting for the relationship, so viewers naturally got confused about the family timeline.
«It was hard for us to remain silent and hide that we had broken up because at that time the show where we were together was airing. And that didn«t match reality and people»s perception. I don«t blame them: it was possible to get lost, make a mistake, not realize that this happened a long time ago. But unfortunately, that»s how it happened.»
The ex-spouses went on the reality show not only for a spectacular return to television. Before filming, feelings between them had indeed rekindled. Over the years living apart, neither of them, according to the singer, had managed to find new great love.
«What pushed us is that at some point we began to feel romantic feelings again. We realized that in these 12 years we never fell in love with anyone else. Lena often said: «I still love only you,»» the artist shared.
The extreme tasks only strengthened Irakli«s confidence that Grebenshchikova remains a close and reliable person. On the project, she supported him, took care of him, and did not create unnecessary drama. But good treatment turned out not to be enough: romance could not resolve a very practical dispute about children, career, and family responsibilities.
The artist admits that Elena may yet change her plans, but he does not intend to demand it of her. Pirtskhalava acknowledged that his ex-wife has the right to determine her own future, although this outcome clearly did not please him:
«Lena is currently focused on her own things and is not ready for my demands. But I have no right to demand anything from her. I think we acted wisely: family and future are a shared vision, not just romance. I dream of children. What to do? I have to accept it and let the person go her own way. That is her path, she does not belong to me.»
While the public was discussing the proposal, another story emerged. Model Ekaterina Lukyanova called herself the singer«s mistress. Later, reports appeared in the media about her pregnancy, health problems, and a paid channel where she allegedly planned to reveal details of her relationship with the artist.
Irakli did not respond in detail to each of Lukyanova«s statements. He emphasized that he never publicized unofficial relationships because he preferred to attract attention with his creativity. The singer assessed harshly the actions of people who use more famous names for popularity and profit, though he clarified several times that he does not judge anyone:
«I will not judge them; God is the judge. I simply understand that you cannot build a life through lies, fakes, and speculation. My position is more fundamental. I am absolutely indifferent to this and try not to judge anyone.»
Thus, the artist denied any infidelity and linked the scandal to a desire to capitalize on his fame. The complete indifference, however, turned out to be thorough: Pirtskhalava devoted a significant part of the interview to the situation.
The singer was even more outraged by the audience«s reaction. Some viewers thought that the events of «Bet on Love» (16+) were happening almost simultaneously with the broadcast and accused the musician of deceiving Elena. According to the artist, bots actively joined the discussion, and some commenters quickly moved from family advice to insults:
«I was surprised by the aggression, especially from women. Besides the abundance of bots that attacked us — and that says something, it means a detonation was really happening — I was surprised that some women, even from families, allowed themselves profanity and fierce anger.»
Despite the new breakup, Grebenshchikova publicly supported her ex-husband and asked fans not to jump to conclusions. Irakli especially appreciated that she did not use the convenient moment to settle old scores and did not add new details to the scandal.
«Any other woman in her place might have gotten angry, but she wrote me such a funny message that I almost burst out laughing! I showed it to a few friends, and they respected Lena even more, saying: «When a woman is your accomplice in life, that is very valuable,»» he admired.
The ex-spouses still consider themselves one family, although they do not plan to return to marriage yet. They are united by their sons Ilya and Alexander. The singer emphasized that Elena never forbade him from seeing the children and never tried to use the boys as a tool of pressure.
The elder son took the divorce especially hard. To make the child less aware of his father«s absence, Irakli would come to the family early in the morning and try to be there by the time he woke up. The efforts were so noticeable that Grebenshchikova began to tease her ex-husband for his unexpected diligence.
«Our children, especially the elder one, were very upset that dad didn«t live with them. I remember how I would rock him to sleep every evening, then get up at half past six in the morning to be there when he woke up so he wouldn»t notice my absence. Lena even joked: «Before the divorce you were around less, and now you»re around too much — what«s going on?»» the singer jokes.
Later, the parents explained to the boys that the adults« disagreements would not affect their love and involvement in their lives. Ilya and Alexander accepted this condition and did not interfere in their mother and father»s relationship.
Participating in the reality show helped Pirtskhalava finally understand that his connection with Elena was preserved, but now it is built not on the desire to become spouses again. The artist believes that after mutual grievances, they came to respect, support, and a willingness to act in their sons« interests.
«Our love has transformed into another kind of love, and we need to let each other go their own way. Lena has her own plans, and I respect them. I have plans for a traditional family with lots of children, noise, hubbub, and laughter. I don«t want to make God laugh by talking about my plans! But I still haven»t met a woman who wants to create such a family,» Irakli shares.
The musician recalls the other events of the project much more calmly. The hardest challenge for him on «Bet on Love» was the sand challenge: broken bamboo hit the artist«s injured back, and the spinning made him see stars. It was also difficult to compete with younger, more athletic participants — Irakli reminded that in two years he will turn 50.
The show also featured the song «Love Suffers Long,» which the artist performed together with Grebenshchikova. The composition became the project«s musical theme, and the music video featured participants from two seasons. For the ex-spouses, this work remained a sort of conclusion to the attempt to start over.
Irakli still dreams of a large family, more children, and a house filled with the voices of relatives. He has not yet met a suitable woman with the same plans. Elena, meanwhile, has gained the opportunity to pursue her career without additional demands from her ex-husband.
Incidentally, earlier Irakli accompanied Ekaterina Lukyanova to an ultrasound, after which the situation around the pregnancy became even more confusing. Later, the model reported a miscarriage, but some media outlets, citing sources, claimed that the pregnancy might have been staged.
