The actress opens up about whether she regrets her relationship with Ricci Rivero
MANILA, Philippines – Weeks after her highly-publicized breakup with basketball player Ricci Rivero, Andrea Brillantes opened up about her healing process, saying that she’d rather focus more on herself now.
During her interview with Vice Ganda that was released on Sunday, July 16, Brillantes refrained from mentioning Rivero’s name directly. Instead, she chose to discuss her personal journey and the stages she had gone through while moving on.
The young actress emphasized the importance of focusing on her personal growth, and that it had taken her a month to fully recover from her recent heartbreak.
“Ito in fairness sa kanya, nag-one month siya, nag-one month talaga akong nalungkot at tsaka hinayaan ko talagang maging malungkot ako, iyak talaga ako sa one month na ‘yun. Parang lahat ng stages ng acceptance, naranasan ko. Hindi ko nadaanan ‘yung depression, nag-anger, nag-bargaining ako nang matagal, siguro one week akong bargaining, tapos boogsh acceptance agad,” she added.
(In fairness, it took me one month. I was really sad for a whole month, and I allowed myself to feel that sadness. I cried a lot during that time, experiencing all the different stages of acceptance. I did not go through depression. I went through anger and bargaining for a long time. I spent around one week bargaining, then all of a sudden just accepted my situation.)
Looking back on their one-year relationship, Brillantes glibly confessed, “Todo po ako as in, actually bakla akong magmahal, bakla rin akong magregalo sobra, hay!”
(When it comes to love, I’m all in. I love intensely and shower my partner with extravagant gifts. That’s just who I am!)
Brillantes also revealed the most significant present she had given to her ex-boyfriend.
Estimating its value to be in the millions of pesos, Brillantes disclosed that the gift was not a material possession but rather an opportunity she had extended to Rivero in one of her projects.
Vice Ganda also probed Brillantes on whether she had returned any of the gifts she had received from Rivero.
In response, Brillantes said that instead of returning one particular item, she planned to pawn it to benefit herself financially.
“Kapag kinuha ko lahat ng ibinigay ko sa kanya, wala na siyang gamit sa condo niya! Hindi ko gagawin ‘yun!” Brillantes added.
(If I were to take back everything I’d given him, his condo would be empty. That’s not my style!)
Brillantes did acknowledge that she may have uttered hurtful words during the relationship, attributing it to her youth and growth as a girlfriend.
“Kahit saan ho, wala akong pinagsisihan kasi nagmahal ako; kung meron man akong pagsisisihan ‘yung mga bagay na nasabi kong masakit. Kasi aaminin ko, hindi rin ako perfect na girlfriend, lalo na bagets-bagets pa ako. Ang dami ko ring hindi magandang nagawa,” she shared.
(I have no regrets because I loved wholeheartedly. But if I had to regret anything, it would be the hurtful things I may have said. I’m far from the perfect girlfriend, especially at my young age, and I’ve made mistakes.)
Despite how much she had invested into her past relationship, Brillantes emphasized the need to move forward and prioritize her own happiness.
“Ang dami ko po kasi nang pinagdaanan sa life. Bakit ako mag-aano sa lalaki lang? There’s so much more to this life than just one boy,” she declared.
(I have been through so much in life already. Why would I let my world revolve around men? There’s so much more to life than just one boy.)
Currently, Brillantes said that she is not actively pursuing a new relationship. However, she said she is open to the possibility of finding the right person in the future, even suggesting that perhaps a responsible basketball player could be the one for her.
Rivero and Brillantes made it official on April 9, 2022, when the athlete publicly asked her to be his girlfriend.
Rivero had first hinted at their split in early June. Though he also didn’t mention Brillantes in the statement, the athlete said that they decided to keep the decision to themselves so they “can prepare what’s left of [their] friendship.”
Rivero then did a tell-all interview, where he talked about the various factors that had led to their separation, adding that he and Brillantes are still on good terms.
However, Brillantes retorted that the athlete had failed to provide the full details of their fallout. – with additional reports from Jacob Maquiling/Rappler.com
Jacob Maquiling is a Rappler intern.