Actor Rubina Dilaik is calling out people for fat shaming her, and has no intention to mince her words. The actor, who recently took to social media to make a statement about it, tells us, “The idea was to tell others that don’t get pressured by these trolls.”

Dilaik shares that she was compelled to react only when the haters involved her family. “There are times when we need to tell people of their boundaries... They tag my parents, husband, sisters, and cousins that ‘Tell Rubina she is not working hard, she is looking old, has gained weight’. Nobody has given you the right to reach out to them,” she says.

She goes on to reveal that she has been dealing with body shaming for a long time. “Earlier, I’d beat myself up for gaining extra inches. Now, I have realised that I’m beautiful the way I am. And it is not coming from a place of complacency, ki maine bahut kuch achieve kar liya, ab toh main jaise bhi dhikhun mujhe koi fark nahi padta,” explains the 34-year-old.

Instead, she is giving herself time to heal from the after effects of Coronavirus. She contracted the virus in May this year. “My body had gone through a lot. I was bedridden for a month. Covid took almost everything out of my discipline and the kind of health I had maintained, and the first to take the beating are your nails, skin, hair. Even today, I have a tremendous hair fall. But I am recovering. It is a part of life... I need to show self-love. You have to love yourself even with those few kilos and bulges,” shares the actor, who was last seen in singer Inder Chahal’s music video for Shah Rukh Khan.

Blaming social media for distorted ideals of beauty, she has a message for all: “Your shape and size is a phase of your life. Do not lose your internal light. And it’s okay to be on a little heavier side.”

“Surviving Covid gives you a boost. With that spirit, recovery becomes easier,” says Rubina Dilaik, who contracted Coronavirus recently and is recovering at her home in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The actor still has weakness and joint ache and knows it will be a month before she regains her strength.

“When I learnt I had Covid, I wasn’t afraid, donating plasma was on my mind. If we have to face it, we better do it bravely instead of fearing the virus. I understand it is easier said than done. Fear works on your mind and affects your body,” she shares.

Dilaik reveals though she’s okay being alone, her isolation felt better after 10 days when her sister joined her in quarantine, which gave her moral support. But she did miss her husband, actor Abhinav Shukla, who is shooting for a reality show in South Africa. “Pehle bimar hote the, toh mummy chahiye hoti thi. Ab lagta hai your loved one should be around, holding you. But that is not possible as you are in isolation. I felt he was with me in spirit though he’s been more worried than ever. He arranged everything for me, from medicines to tests to checkups to oxygen cylinders on stand by etc.,” she says.

During this experience, she admits that looking at people amplifying requests, or creating awareness about fundraisers is heartwarming. “Each one helping others is just wonderful. I am doing my best, locally and helping people in the area. I am very impressed with the Himachal Pradesh government’s efforts for Covid patients, which I’ve seen. NGOs take care of everyone and everything, including sanitisation, providing medicines, getting tests done, ambulances and the like. They are steadfastly working to help people. Never have I seen humanity so united,” she concludes.

After 143 days, Bigg Boss 14 finally got its winner — Rubina Dilaik was crowned the queen of the reality show’s latest season. The Shakti — Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki actress is on cloud nine after her ‘Bigg’ win. “I am ecstatic. I always wanted to reach till here (the finale win). It was a dream, but the feeling of victory is yet to sink in. Kehte hai na, sab kismat ka khel hai, probably I was destined for it. This has been an incredible journey where I discovered myself. And I am very proud of it,” Rubina says.

Rubina’s husband Abhinav Shukla, who was also a contestant, was seen rooting for his wife at the finale with other contestants. Talking about their reunion, she says, “When I won the show, he congratulated me, we hugged and kissed. It was beautiful to have him there with me. Abhinav’s support made me stronger. Ab main bas destination wedding ke baare mein soch rahi hoon (laughs!). There will be a second wedding, and a journey of a lifetime, which we had promised each other on the show.”

The relationship of RubiNav, the portmanteau the couple earned during their stay at the Bigg Boss house, became a talking point after Rubina revealed during the show that the two had contemplated divorce.

Does she regret talking about it on national television? “Absolutely not,” she says, adding, “The kind of challenges we faced together in the show has made our relationship stronger. In the outside world, you have choices and you can escape, but when you are locked up in a house, you have no choice except to either fight or take a flight. We chose to face the challenges head-on and win it for ourselves and that in turn made us, our relationship and our bond stronger. Having your life partner with you on a show like this definitely provides you with emotional support but to be honest, having your personal life exposed on a public forum is like walking on eggshells. It was a mental and emotional challenge to balance things. Only couples will understand it.”

Rubina’s love-hate relationship with Jasmin Bhasin was another hallmark of the show. Ask her if she wants to give their friendship another shot, and she shares, “I tried to mend our relationship multiple times, even when she came back (in the house) during the family week. But once again, I sensed rejection from her side. Now, I think I will give her the time she needs and if she wants to connect after some time, I will welcome her with open arms. I have left it to her now."

What about Aly Goni? “I will stay in touch with Aly without any doubt. We had a natural connection, I connected with him on a spiritual level and I think he felt that, too. I see our relationship evolving further,” says Rubina.

On her relationship with Rahul Vaidya with whom she had many tiffs during the show, the actress says she is willing to forgive, forget and start afresh. “For me, Bigg Boss has been a life-transforming journey. The moment I stepped out of the house, I promised myself that I will forgive and forget. I entered the house with a clean slate and I consciously stepped out with a clean slate. So I will start everything afresh, be it my relationship with Rahul or any other contestant,” she says.

So, will she be attending Rahul’s wedding? Rubina replies, “If he invites me, I would definitely go. But I don’t think we are that close, he might not invite me (laughs!). I just want to wish him and Disha (Parmar) all the best for their life ahead.”

Rubina is now looking forward to spending some quality time with her parents. “They flew down from Shimla for the finale, I want to be with them for some time. Also, for the next few days, I am only going to sleep and eat (laughs!)," she says.