Why Katrina Kaif finally admitted to splitting from Salman Khan
PS: She has never once confessed to seeing him in the last eight years

Katrina Kaif has never admitted to her relationship with Salman Khan in the last eight years. Although they acted together and she was a permanent fixture at his home, she had maintained they were only friends.

But on Tuesday in an interview to a daily, she admitted that she'd split from the Dabangg actor.

Earlier, we had reported how the actress was preparing to announce her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor to the world. So one can assume that the first step towards accepting she is seeing RK, is declaring that she is no longer with SK.

Interview feud

An industry source reveals, "On Monday, an article in a morninger carried quotes of an old interview of Kat, in which she'd spoken about Salman and her closeness to him. This upset the actress, who has been trying to maintain a strictly professional relationship with her ex."

The actress called up the higher-ups in the organisation and told them that she wanted to clear the air about Salman. The following day, her interview admitting to her split was flashed in the front page of a city tabloid under the heading: For The First Time.

So the question is: Why did Katrina finally come clean about Sallu? Says an insider, "That interview made matters embarrassing for her. She is seeing Ranbir now, and the Kapoor khandaan have welcomed her into their fold. How would she explain an interview gushing about Salman being a '4 am friend'?"

Her break-up confession was a face-saving attempt.

Signal ka khel

A source close to the actress adds, "When Kat read an article about Salman and her closeness, she was extremely upset. She doesn't want to send out the wrong signals to Ranbir and his family. She is not with Salman anymore.

Last month, at a press conference for a foreign airlines she endorsed, she'd vaguely hinted at Salman's bachelor status."

The source continues, "Though Salman and Kat broke up long ago they continue to be friends. She appreciates all that he has done for her, and they will always be there for each other.

After the Being Human show recently, he even asked her to party with him and his friends but she refused as she had an early morning flight. Though Salman and she still keep in touch they are not romantically involved anymore and she wants to dispel that wrong impression." Is the message clear?