The love life of A-list star John Lloyd Cruz has always fanned headlines despite the detached persona he has cultivated over the course of his 20 years in showbiz.
He has remained guarded even when confirming a much-publicized relationship, or breakup, while dodging inquiries for more telling details.
His reticence has only intensified curiosity about his private life.
He is 34 years old, hugely successful in his career, what does it take to win the heart of this elusive bachelor?
Maybe his rumored current girlfriend Ellen Adarna has the answer, as all of a sudden John Lloyd appears to be letting his guard down.
For the longest time, the actor has kept a private Instagram account using a different handle name and seen only by selected followers.
Now, he’s all over social media and being seen by all and sundry cavorting with Ellen.
As neither John Lloyd nor Ellen has confirmed the status of their relationship, speculations have run rife they are an item.
Their Bantayan Island vacation in Cebu also became controversial when videos showing John Lloyd acting out of character, to the consternation of his followers, trended in social media.
And no sooner that he apologized for his unseeming behavior than John Lloyd posted photos of a carefree weekend with Ellen surrounded by trees and open waters under a blue sky, all symbolic of freedom.
It appears John Lloyd is letting it all hang out and damning what he calls “manipulated bullshit.”
Which got us curious. Is Ellen the key that pries open this side of John Lloyd?
The fact is John Lloyd has had a string of relationships, and although he minds being asked for details about his relationships, he is gentleman enough to acknowledge the woman in his life at a given time.
He seems attracted to career-oriented and strong-willed women from well-to-do families.
But based on our observation of his previous relationships with independent women, once they became attached to him, they were tamed as well to keep their relationship private.
Below is a detailed list that PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) has gathered of all the women John Lloyd had loved before—from puppy love and fleeting romances to long-term yet controversial amours.
KAYE ABAD. It was teenage love for John Lloyd and Kaye, who became a couple back when they were 15 and 14 years old, respectively.
Recalling their relationship in an October 2012 media interview, John Lloyd said, “Ito po kasi ang aking early years of being in love.
“Yung akala mo yun na talaga, yun na ang lahat at yun na ang katapusan.
“In that sense po ay talagang hindi ko po makakalimutan na I was once in love, very much in love with Kaye Abad.”
In her 2014 guest appearance in ABS-CBN’s News and Current Affairs show Ka Tunying, Kaye confirmed that her relationship with John Lloyd lasted only for “nine months” because they were too young at the time.
But the two have remained on good terms after their long-running show Tabing Ilog, which aired from 1999 to 2003, ended.
Kaye is now happily married to ex-Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up housemate Paul Jake Castillo.
KRISTA RANILLO. In a 2008 interview, John Lloyd opened up about his short-lived romance with Krista Ranillo.
He revealed that his relationship with Krista had lasted for “seven months” and that her parents most likely had approved of him because of his “good boy” image.
But according to Krista, they became a couple for only “three months.”
She recalled watching his guest appearance on the now-defunct ABS-CBN talk show The Buzz, with John Lloyd saying that he still misses her.
When she returned to the Philippines, however, “Nalaman ko iba na ang girlfriend niya. Si Ciara na. Pero okey lang.”
Krista is married to supermarket CEO, Jefferson Niño Lim; they have four kids.
CIARA SOTTO.
John Lloyd, it turned out, had a huge crush on the actress.
He was said to be so besotted that he persisted in courting Ciara until they finally became a couple.
In mid-2003, the couple got caught up in a controversy when it was rumored that Ciara tried to commit suicide following a temporary breakup with John Lloyd.
It was said that Ciara finally called it quits in 2005, blaming John Lloyd’s “misbehaviors” as the reason she got “tired” of the relationship.
The on-and-off relationship of John Lloyd and Ciara lasted two years.
Ciara now is a proud mom of his two-year-old son with estranged husband Joe Oconer. She announced their separation in January 2016.
HEART EVANGELISTA.
A romance, nipped in the bud, was with Heart Evangelista in 2005.
According to John Lloyd, he and Heart stopped dating after a few “months” because he “was not ready to get into a relationship” at the time.
He also stressed that he has nothing but “respect” and “good wishes” for Heart.
This came out in the July 2010 cover story of YES! Magazine on the Kapamilya actor where he revealed, “We dated for… I can’t remember anymore… before she dated Echo.”
John Lloyd was referring to Jericho Rosales, who started dating Heart in late 2005.
The 32-year-old Kapuso actress married Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on February 15, 2015.
LIZ UY.
John Lloyd once said that meeting Liz was a “magical” experience for him.
She was his “magnetic Michiko,” the svelte morena with chinky eyes who caught his attention when he saw her for the first time at the Hong Kong International Airport.
The Kapamilya actor randomly espied her again at a posh club in Taguig, before they were formally introduced.
.Their relationship lasted for three and a half years.
“I’ll die saying nice things about her,” said John Lloyd, adding that of all his exes, at the time of the interview, Liz had the most influence on him.
Liz also shared the Kapamilya actor will always be special to her.
“John Lloyd was the great love of my life, and I will always love him, but we had issues, because we were so young,” she told Cosmopolitan Magazine in its November 2011 cover story on her.
She was last reported to be dating the English-Korean shipping line operations manager, Richard Griffiths.
SARAH GERONIMO.
John Lloyd revealed that “timing” was the reason he never courted Sarah.
On July 14, 2017, at the presscon of their most recent movie, Finally Found Someone, he spoke of their special connection that began during the filming of their first movie, A Very Special Love in 2008, and its sequel, You Changed My Life in 2009.
He remarked, “Hindi, we had this little story about timing… Laging timing is not our friend really, ‘no?
“Simula sa A Very Special Love, tapos You Changed My Life… Yeah, timing is an issue.”
In a separate digital conference, Sarah admitted she had a huge crush on John Lloyd when they did a one-time appearance in Maalaala Mo Kaya in 2006.
She also confirmed that her attraction to him was still there when they shot A Very Special Love.
At that time, John Lloyd was already in a relationship with Liz.
But sometime between 2008 and 2009, John Lloyd gifted Sarah with a ring.
Amused, Sarah said it was huge and looked expensive, she just had to return it.
Sarah and her boyfriend Matteo Guidicelli have been going strong for four years.
RUFFA GUTIERREZ.
For the record, John Lloyd’s secret romance with Ruffa Gutierrez started in “March 2009” and ended in “February 2010.”
When they became a couple, John Lloyd and Ruffa agreed to keep a tight lid on their relationship mainly for “career” reasons.
But their secret romance soon turned sour when Ruffa discovered for herself what John Lloyd admitted to her in the beginning of their relationship.
The beauty queen-turned-actress elaborated, “Alam mo yung pagiging babaero niya, siguro second na lang yun, e.
She said he wanted her back, but at the same time, he was afraid it would cost him his showbiz career.
And then in January 2011, she became entangled in John Lloyd and Shaina’s love trouble.
Fast-forward to present time, Ruffa and John Lloyd stay in touch despite their controversial dating history.
Ruffa is now in a relationship with French-Israeli businessman Jordan Mouyal
SHAINA MAGDAYAO.
On June 20, 2010, John Lloyd confirmed on The Buzz his relationship with Shaina.
This was approximately four months after PEP reported that the two were spotted shopping at a bike store in Makati City.
Their relationship continued to be hounded by intrigues, including Shaina’s controversial phone call to Ruffa in January 2011 and another similar incident in October that same year.
Their happier times were just as sensational, like their luxurious European tour in the summer of 2011.
She added she has remained single and “free” to date anyone she wants.
ANGELICA PANGANIBAN.
John Lloyd and Angelica became a couple on July 8, 2012, a day they would celebrate for the next three and a half years.
The chronology of their romance dashed the speculation that they became involved when John Lloyd was still with Shaina Magdayao and Angelica, with Derek Ramsay, her boyfriend of six years.
The gossip about the breakups of the two couples gathered steam when John Lloyd and Angelica returned together from Vietnam where they shot scenes of Star Cinema’s episodic film 24/7 In Love.
Characteristically, John Lloyd did not confirm his romance with Angelica until several months later.
It happened on October 2012 during his guest appearance on The Buzz.
Months later, there was talk of a possible reconciliation as the two were sighted a few times together, dining out in October 2016 and attending an art fair in February 2017.
But in separate interviews, both John Lloyd and Angelica claimed they are just “best friends.”
BEA ALONZO.
Both Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd are proud of their success as a love team.
They’ve been at it for the past 15 years without the pressure of appearing to be real-life sweethearts.
According to John Lloyd, their online chemistry has worked precisely because of their platonic relationship.
But in a number of interviews in February 2016, John Lloyd flatly denied he and Bea were ever an item.
Speaking to TV Patrol, he clarified, “Hindi po, magkaibigan po kami.”
Bea said the same thing in an April 2016 interview, “Magkaibigan naman talaga kami ni John Lloyd.
“I mean, we’ve been working together for so many years.
“Normal naman yata kasi ako yung huli niyang nakatrabaho.”
ELLEN ADARNA.
After several months of staying single and unattached, John Lloyd’s love life became the talk of the town again.
The viral videos from his first Cebu trip with Ellen fanned persistent rumors that they are an item.
Among the videos that made the rounds online was that of John Lloyd calling Ellen “baby” while they were cooking a dish in some kitchen somewhere in Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu.
During the show’s third anniversary presscon last January, the two set the record straight that they’ve known each other since way back when Ellen was still in high school.
Ellen recalled that she met John Lloyd when he did a mall show in Cebu.
Videos of John Lloyd and Ellen having a good time together are still going viral, whetting the appetite of netizens for more updates on their unfolding romance.
(R. Siazon, pep.ph)
