Celebrity romances are prone to keep the public guessing about their rumored relationships. And it has happened once too often, a romance would only be confirmed when it was over. Cases in point, these celebrity couplings that were neither denied nor admitted or too brief that they passed public notice.
JOHN LLOYD CRUZ AND HEART EVANGELISTA
Dating History: Early 2005
Story: The July 2010 issue of YES! Magazine featured actor John Lloyd Cruz revealing his brief romance with former Kapamilya star Heart Evangelista.
In the interview, he said, “We dated for… I can’t remember anymore… before she dated Echo.” Echo is Jericho Rosales, who started dating Heart in 2005. They broke up three years later. John Lloyd’s revelation was recently confirmed by Heart, who is now a Kapuso actress.
The former My Korean Jagiya star said, “It was just one of those… I was in between… Like, I just broke up with someone at that time and I was gonna meet somebody also. So, it was very brief.” Today, Heart is married to Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, while Echo is married to model Kim Jones. John Lloyd, on the other hand, is in a happy relationship with Ellen Adarna, who is now pregnant with their first baby.
DEREK RAMSAY AND CRISTINE REYES
Dating History: August to September 2013
Story: Derek and Cristine “took the risk” after hanging out with each other for a week and a half. Derek confirmed their relationship in August 29, a day after he and Cristine officially became a couple. “We skipped the whole part na ligawan, we skipped the whole part na putting your best foot forward. “Kasi kilala na namin ang isa’t isa, ang tagal na naming magkaibigan,” he said about his former No Other Woman co-actor in an interview. For her part, Cristine confirmed their relationship by posting their kissing photo with this caption: “Not just your girl.I am your everything.” Their relationship ended a month after, which made it one of the shortest showbiz relationships. Derek is in a relationship with Joan Villablanca for more than three years now. Meanwhile, Cristine Reyes is a happy wife to Ali Khatibi and mom to their three-year-old daughter Amarah.
ENRIQUE GIL AND COLEEN GARCIA
Dating History: 2010-2011
Story: Coleen and Enrique were already close before they became known in showbiz. Their past relationship came to light when they became part of a love triangle with Sam Concepcion in ABS-CBN’s defunct youth-oriented show Good Vibes. Colleen and Enrique dismissed it as mere “puppy love” as they were both just 18 years old at the time. According to the Kapamilya actor, they mutually decided to break up after dating for almost a year, “Kasi wala akong oras. Yun ang problema namin.” In a separate interview, Coleen affirmed her relationship with Enrique. She said, “With Enrique naman, I really became wiser. Tsaka ano, kasi yun nga. “I was in relationship with someone who’s in showbiz and, at that time, he kept rising and rising. “So, parang nakita ko na ang hirap talaga na magka-boyfriend sa showbiz.” Today, Coleen is engaged to Billy Crawford. They are about to get married this summer. Enrique, on the other hand, is getting more and more involved with his onscreen partner Liza Soberano, whom he always calls “my love.”
BARBIE FORTEZA AND KIKO ESTRADA
Dating History: July to August 2016
Story: “Yes, we’re dating,” Kiko Estrada had said about the status of his relationship with Barbie Forteza. However, in the same interview, in July 8, 2016, Kiko admitted he couldn’t fully commit yet to any relationship because of his work. At that time, the son of Gary Estrada and Cheska Diaz was given a lead role in the defunct teleserye Sinungaling Mong Puso. Meanwhile, Barbie was being paired with Andre Paras, who was her leading man in That’s My Amboy. The two Kapuso young stars were never clear about their relationship. It was only confirmed when Kiko admitted their breakup a month after. He said their relationship was “a right love at the wrong time.” Kiko said he and Barbie chose to focus on their respective showbiz careers. “Wala akong love life, pero may career naman ako,” he said. Today, Barbie is in a relationship with her Meant To Be (2016) co-star Jak Roberto. Meanwhile, Kiko remains single.
ROCCO NACINO AND ARIANNE BAUTISTA
Dating Histiry: Late 2016 to early 2017.
Story: Talks about Rocco Nacino and Arianne Bautista hooking up started when they joined celebrity couple Mark Herras and Teresita Ssen Marquez on their trip to Cebu in October 2016. However, Arianne denied the rumor, saying she was not yet ready to be in a new relationship. She and her non-showbiz boyfriend had just broken up earlier that year. She said in an interview, “Kung may nararamdaman akong may gustong manligaw, nape-friend zone ko agad. Kasi nga, wala akong maibibigay na time ngayon.” But were they just really friends? Rocco said otherwise in an interview months later. He admitted the “short-lived” romance with Arianne was his fault. Rocco reasoned, “In-explain ko naman sa kanya na hurt pa ako from my past relationship at natakot ako na baka makasakit lang ako.” He was talking about his breakup with ex-girlfriend Lovi Poe. Today, both Kapuso stars remain single and busy with their respective projects. Arianne is part of the hit afternoon drama Ika-6 Na Utos, while Rocco is the leading man of Sanya Lopez in Haplos.
LOVI POE AND JAKE CUENCA
Dating History: Sometime in 2011 to 2013
Story: Lovi Poe and Jake Cuenca worked together in the movie My Neighbor’s Wife (2011). It was then that people around them started to notice a special kind of friendship brewing between Lovi and Jake. Although they were romantically linked to each other, both actors were consistent in saying that they were just “good friends.” In an interview, Jake admitted, “Malaki ang admiration ko for Lovi Poe.” But he was quick to clarify that he’s not courting her co-star. At that time, he wanted their friendship to grow naturally into something deeper. “Kung maging romantic ang relationship, at least, nakita na niya ang tunay mong pagkatao. Nakita na niya ang tunay mong kulay,” he said. So, did it bloom into a romantic relationship? Neither of them confirmed it until two years after, when it became obvious that they were falling apart from each other. It was then that Lovi admitted she and Jake were once in a relationship. “I guess I was in a weird stage in my life before. I wasn’t able to give him the right or proper recognition. I guess this is it,” said Lovi in a previous interview, where she also admitted her special relationship with Rocco Nacino. Today, Lovi is happily in love with Filipino-French boyfriend Chris Johnson. Jake, on the other hand, is still single and busy with his triathlon gigs.
(pep)
