Andrea Brillantes, Ricci Rivero. Images: BJ Pascual via Instagram/@blythe, Instagram/@ricciiirivero
Andrea Brillantes said that she has forgiven her ex-boyfriend, basketball player Ricci Rivero despite his “betrayal,” more than a month after they officially called it quits.
Without mentioning Rivero’s name, Brillantes made the declaration during a media conference after her contract renewal with ABS-CBN on Monday, July 31, where she was asked if she forgave her ex-boyfriend already.
“I think so. Pero hindi pa nang direkta kasi wala pa kaming usap. Pero in my heart, yes. In my heart, natanggap ko na lahat and willing to move forward with my life na po ako. So yes, I think napatawad ko na siya (I haven’t forgiven him directly because we haven’t spoken yet. But in my heart, yes. In my heart, I have accepted everything and I’m willing to move forward. So yes, I think I forgave him already),” she said.
The actress then admitted that she chose to let go of her anger towards Rivero, saying she was able to work on forgiving her ex-boyfriend during the time when reports about their break-up made rounds among entertainment circles.
“Ay, hindi [na ako galit kay Ricci Rivero]. Actually, nagalit ako, oo. Pero matagal na panahon na ‘yun bago pa nag-trending ang lahat ng ito. Nakailang buwan na bago niyo nalaman lahat, tapos na ako. On the way na ako matapos sa lahat ng stages of grief,” she said.
“Nagkaroon po ako siguro ng one month talaga na mahirap para sa akin… surprisingly for me, hindi ko ‘yun ine-expect kasi kilala ko ‘yung sarili ko na talagang kinikimkim ‘yung [galit] or kung ano mang betrayal ang natanggap ko in life,” she continued.
(I’m not mad at Ricci Rivero anymore. Actually, I was mad at him before. But it happened long before our split became a trending topic. Months before you all knew about it, I’m okay. I’m on the way to ending the stages of grief. It took a month where everything was hard for me. Surprisingly for me, I didn’t expect to go through that because I’m the type of person who keeps her emotions like anger or some sort of betrayal that I’ve experienced in life.)
The “Kadenang Ginto” star expressed her gratitude to God for allowing her pain to last for a “week,” and that she was surrounded by her family, friends, and fans during her healing process.
“Pinili ko kasi talagang mag-reflect lang, isang linggo ako lang, hindi ako lumabas. Wala rin akong kinausap kung ‘di ako lang and mas doon ko nakilala ‘yung sarili ko, ‘yung emotions ko. Masasabi ko nawawala talaga ang galit. Time heals everything. Thank you, Lord,” she said.
“After noon, nandyan ‘yung friends ko, fans ko, family ko na mahal na mahal ako, [at] ‘yung network ko. Punong-puno ng pagmamahal kasi ang buhay ko. Wala na siyang space para sa galit pa. It is what it is eh. Whatever. Ang laki-laki ng mundo, ang saya-saya mabuhay para lang mag-waste ng galit. Mawawala rin siya,” she further said.
(I chose to reflect. For a week, I didn’t go out. I didn’t talk to anyone except myself, and that’s how I got to know about myself and my emotions better. I could say that anger does heal. Time heals everything. Thank you, Lord. After that, my friends, fans, family who love me, and my network are there for me. I’m filled with so much love in my life that it has no more space for anger. It is what it is. Whatever. The world is huge, and it’s so nice to live just to waste it in anger. It will go away.)
Brillantes, however, noted that it’s okay to feel angry after a break-up, but advised her supporters to not get overwhelmed with emotions.
“Pwede ka pa ring magalit ah, pero wag kang ma-stuck sa galit. Wag kang magpakain sa galit and huwag kang [gumawa ng desisyon] habang galit. Aaminin ko na marami akong gustong gawin noon kasi galit na galit ako eh,” she said. “Pero ngayon, sabi ko sa sarili ko, I’ll wait. After a week, nawala na siya. And I’m thankful na wala akong ginawa [habang galit] kasi kung hindi, pagsisisihan ko siya. Mas clear kasi ang decisions mo kapag hindi mo papairalin ang emotions mo.”
(It’s okay to get mad. But don’t remain angry. Don’t overwhelm yourself with anger and don’t make decisions while you’re angry. I admit that I wanted to do a lot of things before because I was so mad… But now, I told myself that I’ll wait. After a week, it’s gone. And I’m thankful that I didn’t do anything while I’m mad because I’ll regret it later on. Making clear decisions is better if you didn’t allow your emotions to take over.)
During the press conference, the “Drag You and Me” star also said that she’s open to speaking with Rivero should they cross paths again in the future.
“Kung magkikita kami [ni Ricci Rivero], okay lang naman sa akin ‘yun. Wala akong problem with it. Okay akong magkita kami, kung makakausap ko siya, kung kakausapin niya ako. Okay lang din po sa akin ‘yun kung meron pa siyang mga gustong sabihin,” she said.
(If Ricci Rivero and I cross paths, I’m okay with it. I have no problem with it. It’s okay for us to meet again, if I talk to him and he talks to me. It’s okay with me if he still has something to say towards me.)
Brillantes’ declaration comes weeks after Rivero admitted during an interview that the actress saw the latter with a mystery woman at his place, although he clarified that the woman is just a companion of his friend.
Prior to the press conference, the actress told Preview magazine in a cover interview that she was able to achieve inner peace after their split.
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