People usually say that it’s easier to go from friends to lovers than it is to go from lovers to friends, but former celebrity couple Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia prove that a past romance may not always have a bitter ending. In fact, as in their case, it could lead to a fresh start — either in friendship or a healthy professional relationship.
In the course of their two-year relationship, the ex-love team, also known as “JoshLia,” sent their fans into a frenzy when they recently served major onscreen chemistry during the promotional interviews for their new movie, “Un/happy for you.”
And while they are now well-settled into their respective relationships with other people, Barretto said it right in one interview when she told Garcia, “In fairness to us, we remained civil… hindi tayo masyadong bad to each other no, in fairness?”
As they engaged in light banter, JoshLia fans could not help but feel a bit of nostalgia with this reset in their relationship. And now that they are about to have their reunion movie on the big screen, here’s a timeline of Barretto and Garcia’s romance that went platonic.
Birth of JoshLia
Barretto and Garcia are believed to have first met on the ABS-CBN Sunday noontime show ASAP, where the actress served as one of the hosts, and where Garcia guested, coming right out of the Pinoy Big Brother House.
When they starred in their first movie together, “Vince, Kath, and James” (2016), the two instantly hit off. In 2017, during the press conference of their second film, “Love You to the Stars and Back,” Garcia admitted that he’s courting Barretto, as he claimed he had always had a crush on her, even before their first project.
The same year, the two went viral after Garcia asked Barretto to be his date at the Star Magic Ball 2017. He surprised the actress with a serenade of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” and a bouquet of red roses. The two graced their first red carpet to show off how good they look together.
By the end of 2017, Garcia started to tag along with the actress’ family trips, which at the time were in Hokkaido, Japan. They have been treating the fans to their sweet moments on and off camera, making them one of the thriving love teams at the time, with the likes of KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla), JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre), and LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil).
Breach of trust
However, in 2018, the two became a center of public curiosity after Garcia reportedly sent a direct message (DM) to a girl on Instagram, complimenting her. The actor opened up in tears in an interview with Boy Abunda, saying that it was a challenge that tested their relationship. “‘Di kasi madali ang nangyaring ‘yon. Ang daming nag-judge,” he said. (What happened wasn’t easy because there were many people who judged the situation.)
In a separate interview, despite saying that they were okay, Barretto said that the actor was still trying to earn her trust again as they continued to fix what’s left of their relationship after the controversy.
“I have learned important things: self-worth, self-value, things I can tolerate, and what I can’t tolerate. I made that clear to him. It was a rough patch, but I didn’t put whatever we built in our partnership to waste. So up to this day, he’s still trying to gain my trust. And that’s the truth. He’s still trying to gain my trust. But we’re okay. Accept, forgive, and move on. Life goes on,” she said.
Gerald Anderson in the picture
Not long after, the two became the center of another controversy after Barretto starred in the movie “Between Maybes,” opposite Gerald Anderson, who at the time was dating Bea Alonzo. In June 2019, Barretto and Garcia debunked rumors that they had broken up because of Anderson.
“No, absolutely not,” said Barretto, with Garcia adding, “Hindi naman totoo ‘yon. Hindi naman magagawa ni Gerald ‘yon. Parang kuya ko na si Gerald.” (That’s not true. Gerald wouldn’t do that. He’s like my older brother.)
The following month, a series of Instagram posts went viral after Alonzo “liked” some photos were of Barretto and Anderson allegedly being “flirty” with each other at a party.
Amid the rumors, Garcia extended his support to Barretto and began to describe their relationship as more of a friendship.
“Kaibigan ko siya. So hindi naman siguro masama kung ibigay ko ‘yung suporta ko sa kanya,” he said. “Kumbaga kalimutan muna natin ‘yung problema, nandito ako bilang kaibigan mo, hindi para kung ano man.”
(She’s my friend, so maybe it’s not bad if I give her my support. Let’s forget about the problem; I’m here as your friend, not for anything.)
The same month, Barretto dropped an explosive Instagram post, admitting that she and Garcia broke up “four months ago,” and that she did not cheat on him, as she also affirmed that she had nothing to do with Anderson and Alonzo’s breakup: “I would like to disassociate myself from the breakup of Bea and Gerald. Those issues are entirely their own,” she wrote at the time.
Saving the friendship
In January 2020, the two starred in the movie “Block Z.” By this time, they were no longer a couple, as Garcia also started to get paired with another love team, which at the time was with Janella Salvador.
Barretto said that she will always cheer for Garcia from afar and will always be proud of his growth as an actor. The actress underscored that their friendship remains despite the end of their romance.
“It’s important that you are willing to save the friendship. Masaya ako at natutuwa ako na naging maayos naman yung ending naming dalawa at lumabas kami ng breakup namin nang mas mature at mas mabuting tao,” she said.
(It’s important that you are willing to save the friendship. I’m happy and I’m glad that the ending was good for both of us and that we came out of our breakup as more mature and better people.)
Closure with ‘Paubaya’
The two starred in Moira Dela Torre’s music video “Paubaya,” breaking and healing the hearts of their fans as the MV served as a closure to their story. According to them, they helped write their dialogue, which made it seem personal and genuine. The MV tells the story of a couple who fall in love and get engaged. However, on their wedding day, the bride leaves the groom at the altar.
Many believed the ex-couple’s exchange at the end of the music video was the closure that the two of them (and their fans) had been waiting for to be able to move on from their breakup.
Happy for one another
Four years after their last movie together, “Block Z,” that was released in 2020, and three years after they starred in the music video “Paubaya,” the two are set to reunite for “Un/Happy For You,” this year.
During their recent interview, the two talked about how they remained friends despite their romantic history. The actor said, “Ang dami naming na-share, ang dami naming nakita sa isa’t isa. Wala na kaming itatago, then magiging stranger kami? Edi olats naman ‘yun. D’un ako kumakapit, sa friendship naming dalawa.”
(We shared a lot. We saw different sides of each other. We had nothing to hide, then we’d become strangers? It would be such a waste. That’s what I hold onto—our friendship.)
Despite starring in various projects in the past, the ex-couple said this reunion movie feels brand new.
“This feels familiar, but parang bago rin (but it also feels new) because we are getting to re-know each other,” said Barretto.
As of now, Barretto is currently dating Anderson, while Garcia is rumored to be dating Filipina-French athlete Emilienne Vigier.
