In a quiet but emotional conversation, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has opened up about one of the hardest times in her life, the premature birth of her daughter, Malti Marie.

Speaking on Jay Shetty’s podcast while promoting her new film The Bluff, now streaming on Prime Video, the 43-year-old actor described the moment doctors told her her baby would arrive at 27 weeks.

“So when we were told that she was coming at 27 weeks, I shut down,” she said. The Don 2 actress remembered sitting in front of her fireplace for nine hours, unable to think. Her husband, Nick Jonas, rushed her to hospital soon after.

Malti was born during the COVID pandemic and spent nearly 110 days in intensive care. 

“She was purple. The NICU nurses’ little fingers were too big for her mouth. How they intubated her was… I still see that image,” The Angneepath star shared.

Only one parent was allowed inside at a time. “She cried the first time. It was like a cat. That’s all we got,” she said.

The couple were also dealing with another shock. News of the birth was leaked while Malti was still critical. 

She recalled, “We got a text saying that her birth is going to be put out by the papers… that if we don’t, they are going to in three hours. So we were kind of forced into announcing her birth.”

Priyanka Chopra tied the knot with American Singer Nick Jonas in 2018. The couple welcomed their daughter Malti in January 2022 through surrogacy.