Priscilla Meirelles wants PH recognition of divorce from John Estrada
Priscilla Meirelles has filed a petition seeking recognition of her divorce from John Estrada, which was granted in Brazil in 2024.
In a now-expired Instagram stories, the Miss Earth 2004 titleholder shared a statement from her lawyers about the filing before the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City.
It said that on March 31, 2025, the Family Court of the Judicial District of Boa Vista, State of Roraima, Brazil issued a Sentença that dissolved her marriage to Estrada.
"By filing this petition, Priscilla seeks to have the Sentença issued by the First Family Court of the Judicial District of Boa Vista, State of Roraima, as well as all its legal effects, recognized and enforced in the Philippines, the country which she has come to love and call home," her camp said in the statement.
The lawyers also stated that this filing seeks to formally change Meirelles' civil status.
"On a more personal ote, Priscilla considers this to be a significant step in her journey towards healing, closing a chapter of her life, and starting a new beginning as a single woman."
Meirelles, in the Instagram story, expressed her gratitude to her lawyers. "Malayo pa but malayo na."
The beauty queen revealed in a Feb. 13 interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda that she was no longer married to Estrada.
"Bilang isang foreigner, may karapatan ako to divorce my husband, so last year I went to Brazil, and I started the process of divorcing him. Actually, not last year, 2024," she said.
Meirelles further explained that while she got married in the Philippines, she is able to pursue divorce as she registered her marriage in Brazil.
John and Priscilla's troubled marriage
The couple, who got married on Feb. 26, 2011, have been separated since December 2024 amid rumors of Estrada's infidelity.
In 2023, Meirelles admitted their marriage was in trouble. Among the cryptic posts she made, the Brazilian former beauty queen asked her followers, "What to call a female that entertains [a] married man?" and "Married men/women who chase single boys/girls are seriously so pathetic!"
"I have been going through a rough time in my marriage for a while already for many reasons," Meirelles said in the same year.
Estrada, meanwhile, remained mum about the status of his relationship with his Meirelles. But the rumors persisted.
On July 14, 2024, Estrada posted on Instagram a series of photos of him at Henann Garden Boracay. Around the same time, a Facebook reel that went viral showed him at a club in Boracay with a mystery woman.
Shortly after, Estrada turned off comments on his post. He then posted a statement denying he was in a relationship with Hallman "or any other woman," and said they only met in Boracay. In the same statement, Estrada wrote he and Meirelles had mutually decided to take a break.
However, in her own clarification, posted on Instagram Stories, Meirelles said the decision was not mutually made.
In October, Estrada said in an interview with The Philippine STAR's Dolly Anne Cavajal that he is willing to work things out and marry Meirelles anew if she feels the same. He even referred to Meirelles as "the love of my life."
"I hope she will still be around when I'm done fighting my own demons," he said. "If and when Pri and I fix what needs to be fixed, I would be willing to remarry her if she wants to."
