Actress Nelly Karim has separated from former squash player Hisham Ashour after a marriage that lasted for two and a half years.

A source close to Karim said that the separation occurred on Friday, with the reason being private.

In 2021, after the couple’s marriage, Ashour said that he thought about marrying Karim when he saw her for the first time on the beach in al-Gouna, where she was drawing.

He pointed out that she initially rejected his proposal, while Karim said that she was wearing what looked like pajamas in their first meeting and did not care for him.

During an interview at that time with Mona al-Shazly show on CBC, Ashour said that he suddenly found himself and Nelly thinking about marriage.

He added: “By nature, I am very cautious, especially with regard to marriage. I did not think that it would happen so quickly, especially since I was living my life in comfort. This made me think that the marriage that happened in this way is a miracle.”