Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla confirm breakup: 'Our love story ended with respect'
Kathryn Bernardo has confirmed that she and her longtime boyfriend Daniel Padilla are no more, emphasizing that they ended their relationship "with respect."
After being ensnarled in breakup rumors in recent weeks, Kathryn finally broke her silence in a lengthy Instagram post detailing why they ended their 11-year relationship.
"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," Kathryn wrote.
"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 continued.
The Hows of Us star emphasized that the past 11 years of being together is something that she "would never regret and never trade for anything in the world" as it brought her "joy, adventure, and the feeling of being home."
"He knew me more than anyone else. He was my first boyfriend. He was my comfort zone. He was my person. I will always have love for him," she wrote.
Kathryn explained that she and Daniel decided to call it quits as they simply drifted apart despite their best efforts to keep the flame alive.
"Like any other relationship, we tried our best to make it work. We've been drifting apart for a while now, and we ultimately had to accept that we can't go back to where we used to be. It just won't be fair to pretend that everything is still the same," the actress detailed.
"Our love story began with respect and ended with respect," she highlighted.
As the two of them are part of a highly popular love team that has amassed thousands of fans, Kathryn took the time to address their supporters, "KathNiels, we know you are hurting, this also hurts us both more than you can imagine. The last thing we want is for this family to break apart with everyone taking sides—please don't."
"Deej and I will continue to support each other as we try to heal and move forward from this. We will continue to love you and make you proud, but we hope you understand that this is something we really need," Kathryn said.
She ended her message with some heartwarming words to her former flame: "Deej, you gave me 11 beautiful years and the kind of love that I will forever cherish. I will always be grateful for you."
Following the announcement about their break-up, Daniel also penned a sweet message to Kathryn and their fans on his Instagram account.
"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 wrote.
"KathNiels, maraming salamat sa pagmamahal ninyo. Maraming salamat sa napakagandang pinagsamahan na'tin. Hinding hindi namin ipagpapalit at hindi makukumpara kahit anong pang gawin nila," he added.
The actor ended his post by writing, "Bal, ang pagmamahal ko sa'yo ay walang hanggan at walang katapusan."
The breakup between Kathryn and Daniel was first brought up by talent manager Ogie Diaz through his supposed source. While he clarified there was no confirmation regarding this, Ogie cited an insider again as he mentioned the name of Andrea Brillantes, who’s supposedly secretly meeting with Daniel.
Since then, there have been some developments that further fueled the rumors, such as Andrea appearing to have unfollowed Kathryn on Instagram amid the issue. In turn, Kathryn, along with her celebrity friends Loisa Andalio and Miles Ocampo, had also cut the communication lines with Andrea.
Kathryn and Daniel debuted as a love team in 2011 for the teleserye Growing Up and have since starred in more shows and movies. They confirmed their relationship in 2018.