“What Deej and I had was real. It was never for show.”
Kathryn Bernardo expressed this in her statement where she finally confirmed her split with long-time boyfriend Daniel Padilla.
In the past weeks, several Filipinos, both their fans and non-fans, have been speculating about their alleged breakup on social media.
Veteran showbiz reporter Ogie Diaz also reported the alleged link between Daniel and Andrea Brillantes on his YouTube video, thus adding fuel to the fire.
READ: Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla fans call out Ogie Diaz for being ‘fake news peddler’
On November 30, in separate statements, Kathryn and Daniel spoke up and confirmed their breakup after 11 years of being together on and off screen.
They started dating way back in 2012. They made public their relationship in 2018.
Kathryn: ‘It was real’
In the actress’s post, Kathryn said that she wanted the news to come from her.
“I’m well aware of the rumors and speculations going around, and as hard as it is to put everything into words, I want you to hear it straight from me: It’s true that Deej and I have decided to part ways,” she said.
Kathryn also briefly reminisced about her life with the actor for the past 11 years, saying that their relationship was “real” and “genuine.”
“What Deej and I had was real. It was never for show. We were together not because of the cameras, not because of the fans, not because of the money that comes with a successful love team. We were genuinely in love,” she wrote.
“We grew up together, dreamed together, and saw many of those dreams become a reality—still together. That’s almost half of my life that I would never regret and would never trade for anything in the world,” she added.
The “Hows of Us” actress also expressed that their relationship taught her “the real meaning of unconditional love and friendship.”
Kathryn then shared that both of them tried to “make it work”. However, they later learned to accept that they could no longer “go back to where we used to be.”
She then ended her post with a message to Daniel, whom she fondly calls “Deej.”
“Deej, you gave me 11 beautiful years and the kind of love that I will forever cherish. I will always be grateful for you,” the “A Very Good Girl” star said.
In her caption, Kathryn wrote that it was “chapter closed” for them.
“Chapter closed. I hope this finally helps all of us move forward. I won’t be entertaining questions regarding this anymore. Thank you for understanding,” she said.
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Daniel: ‘Ikaw at ako’
Daniel, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to his former lover in his post.
“Thank you for dancing with me during my highs and thank you for singing with me during my lows. Our lives may drift away, but our love will still ride that tide,” he said.
The “Whether the Weather Is Fine” actor also closed his statement with a message of love for Kathryn.
“Bal, ang pagmamahal ko sayo ay walang hanggan at walang katapusan.”
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Special message to Kathniels
Kathryn and Daniel also have separate messages to comfort their fans called Kathniels.
The former requested for the fans to not take sides on the matter. Rather, they hoped they would still support both of them individually.
“We hope you can join us in this healing process and not let those precious memories go to waste. Kaya natin to,” Kathryn said.
Daniel, meanwhile, was grateful for the Kathniels’ support and love throughout the years.
“Pamilya kayo at mga kaibigan. Magiging mahirap pero kailangan natin yakapin ang kinabukasan. I pray for us to grow and heal,” he said.
