Paolo Contis and Yen Santos. Image: Instagram/@paolo_contis
Paolo Contis revealed that his girlfriend, actress Yen Santos, had “every opportunity” to end their relationship during the height of its controversy but she chose to stay — which made him fall in love with her.
During a podcast interview with entertainment reporter Nelson Canlas, which was uploaded in a streaming platform last Tuesday, May 30, Contis admitted that having Santos by his side means a lot to him, as she did her part to make sure that she’s not affected by the controversy.
Contis’ admission comes months after confirming his relationship with the actress at an episode of “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” where he clarified that his “A Faraway Land” co-star was not the reason for his break-up with ex-partner LJ Reyes.
“Sobrang simpleng bagay lang (It’s a very simple reason only),” he began, when asked why he loves Santos. “When the whole thing started, this whole crucifixion started, there was a time or there was every opportunity, she had every opportunity to tell me or to leave, but she stayed.”
The actor-comedian also stressed that Santos “did everything” to make sure that she wasn’t affected by the controversies surrounding their relationship. It can be recalled that the actress was alleged to be the third party behind Contis’ split with Reyes, who recently got engaged to her non-showbiz partner.
“Sa totoo lang, ang laki-laking bagay [n’un para sa akin]. Kasi nung mga time na ‘yun, pinag-uusapan namin na mahirap, yes. Nagkaroon pa nga ng time na nag-hiatus din siya sa social media. Pero she did everything she [could] to not get affected, as long as nakakapag-usap kami and okay kami,” he said.
“Hindi mo ba mamahalin ‘yun? During the time that some of my friends, some of the people who actually believed me were leaving, someone stayed. Kumbaga, nung lahat palayo, siya papalapit,” he further added.
(Honestly, it’s a very big thing for me. Because during that time, we’ve discussed that it was hard. There was even a time that she went on a social media hiatus. But she did everything she could to not get affected, as long as we’re able to talk about it and ensure we’re okay. Wouldn’t you love that? During the time that some of my friends and people who actually believed me were leaving, someone stayed. Everyone distanced themselves from me, she was the only one who came near.)
On his relationship with LJ Reyes
Without disclosing Reyes’ name, Contis also admitted that he handled his split with Reyes “poorly,” and pointed out that he should’ve provided a safe space for them to “talk about everything.”
“Para sa akin, ang mali ko diyan is we never really had a good [avenue] to talk about everything,” he said. “But again, some people face it or deal with it better, some people deal with it poorly. Pero for me, I cherish everything naman na pinagdaanan ko, especially the happy days. Of course, okay lahat ‘yun. I believe that my last relationship, ‘yan ‘yung kumbaga, pinaka-poorly handled ko, that I can say.”
(For me, my mistake was that we never really had a good avenue to talk about everything. But again, some people face it or deal with it better, some people deal with it poorly. But for me, I cherish everything that I’ve been through, especially the happy days. Of course, those were okay. I believe that my last relationship, that was the one that was poorly handled, that I can say.)
The actor then shared that his relationship with Reyes started to turn sour during the pandemic, saying that he was “insensitive” to her needs.
“Lahat naman ng mga relationships, may pinagdaanan noong pandemic. It is just, iba ‘yung way ko of facing the pandemic at that time. Iba rin ‘yung sa kanya. I was insensitive about how she felt. And I think mali ko rin ‘yun,” he added.
(All relationships have gone through tough times during the pandemic. It is just that I had a different way of dealing with it, she had a different way, too. I was insensitive about how she felt. And I think that was my mistake.)
Without mentioning any specific encounter with his ex, Contis also stated that his past hardships with Reyes “will never justify” what he had done.
“Siguro, I will just leave it at that. Again, it will never justify what I did. It will never justify kung saan siya napunta. If only I could have fixed it better na hindi siguro naging gan’un kalaki ‘yung impact kasi maraming nasaktan, maraming nadamay so para sa’kin, that was my mistake,” he said.
(I guess I will just leave it at that. Again, it will never justify what I did. It will never justify where it went. If only I have fixed it better then it wouldn’t have spiraled into something as big as this one. Many were involved and got hurt, so for me, that was my mistake.)
Following the confirmation of his relationship with Santos, Contis expressed his dismay about their romance being “demonized” by the public in an interview with GMA-7’s 24 Oras last April 2023.
Reyes recently announced that she got engaged to her non-showbiz partner, Philip Evangelista, whom she introduced to the public for the first time.
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