Chapter closed. Actress Kathryn Bernardo and actor Daniel Padilla ended speculations about their relationship as they assured fans of their love even if they had decided to part ways.
KathNiel hearts are broken, but even non-fans expressed sadness as reel and real-life couple Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla issued separate statements on Thursday, Nov. 30, to confirm that they had indeed decided to call it quits.
“Chapter closed,” Bernardo wrote on Instagram, immediately telling the public that she and Padilla had parted ways.
Celebrities and fans reacted by posting “My KathNiel heart” with a broken heart symbol as well as messages of love and support for the couple.
Bernardo and Padilla are no ordinary couple and love team, the reason why news about their breakup exploded and triggered various memes and reactions. They started to work together in teen-oriented show “Growing Up” in 2011 and had been real life partners for 11 years.
Their popularity is also massive. The loveteam of Padilla and Bernardo became solid in several shows including “Princess and I” (2012), “Got to Believe” (2013), remake of “Pangako Sa’Yo” (2016) and the most recent “2 Good 2 Be True” (2022), among others.
They also starred in movies that were a hit at the box office hits like “Must Be…Love” (2013), “She’s Dating the Gangster” (2014), “Crazy Beautiful You” (2015), “Barcelona: A Love Untold (2016), “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (2017) and “The Hows of Us” (2018).
The two were given their first lead roles in the movie “Must Be…Love,” which followed the story of best friends Patchot and Ivan, who realized they were in love with each other. Based on a Rappler report on Sept. 4, 2021 that looked back on the 10 years of KathNiel, “The Hows Of Us” made history as the first Filipino movie to cross the P600-million mark at the domestic box office.
The film follows ex-couple Primo (Padilla) and George (Bernardo) who, despite a bad breakup, meet again at the house they both invested in when they were together.
“Ang sakit (It’s painful),” many wrote on Facebook. “Sayang,” others commented, expressing regret.
“As a fan of #KathNiel, nakakalungkot talaga…I thought sila na magkakatuluyan in the future #kathnielbreakup,” a netizen said on Facebook, voicing out what many believed – that Padilla and Bernardo would end up as husband and wife.
“these kathniel stans are probably hurting 100x more than any of us right now. My kathniel heart is shaking,” another one posted on Twitter.
Actress Ruffa Gutierrez commented that she was crying as she expressed love for both Bernardo and Padilla.
“God bless the broken hearts. #kathniel,” host and comedienne Vice Ganda said.
While things seemed to go smoothly between Padilla and Bernardo all these years, there were controversies before they confirmed their breakup. Padilla was linked to young actress Andrea Brillantes and the reports of veteran entertainment journalists Ogie Diaz and Cristy Fermin about their separation were denied.
In an interview with The Philippine STAR’s Wilson Lee Flores published on July 24, 2022, Bernardo said “there are many temptations, especially in this industry.”
“But it’s up to each person how you will handle all that. So siguro (maybe) in our case, we take care of what we have together and others see that so that’s why they respect us,” Bernardo said.
“Tsaka may plano kasi tayong dalawa for the future, hindi lang para ngayon, ‘di ba (And also, we both have plans for the future, not just for now, isn’t it)?
Here are the full statements of the two regarding their breakup:
Kathryn Bernardo
Chapter closed. I hope this finally helps all of us move forward. I won’t be entertaining questions regarding this anymore. Thank you for understanding.
I’ve been in showbiz for almost 21 years now, 12 years as the one-half of Kathniel, and 11 years as someone who loved Deej even behind the camera.
I didn’t grow up in this industry constantly being controlled and dictated on. I was lucky to have had the best guidance and support system when I started my career and I’ve continuously worked hard to earn people’s trust. But since I became an adult, I took it upon myself to take charge of my own life – the projects I work on, the way I dress, the people I surround myself with. I’ve always tried to be my own person. I was encouraged to think for myself and decide for myself. Even when it comes to love. Especially when it comes to love.
I promised to never lose myself in this industry, so I’ve always been as authentic to you as I can be. I know what many of you are thinking right now. I’m well aware of the rumors and speculations going around, and as hard as it is to put everything into words, I want you to hear it straight from me: It’s true that Deej and I have decided to part ways.
What Deej and I had was real. It was never for show. We were together not because of the cameras, not because of the fans, not because of the money that comes with a successful love team. We were genuinely in love. We grew up together, dreamed together, and saw many of those dreams become a reality – still together. That’s almost half of my life that I would never regret and would never trade for anything in the world. These are 11 years that brought me joy, adventure, and the feeling of being home. Years that taught me the real meaning of unconditional love and friendship. He knew me more than anyone else. He was my first boyfriend. He was my comfort zone. He was my person. I will always have love for him.
Like any other relationship, we tried our best to make it work. We’ve been drifting apart for a while now, and we ultimately had to accept that we can’t go back to where we used to be. It just won’t be fair to pretend that everything is still the same.
These past few months have been tough, but thank you for giving us the time we need to process the pain and finally face the elephant in the room.
Our love story began with respect and ended with respect.
Kathniels, we know you are hurting, and trust me, this also hurts us both more than you can imagine. The last thing we want is for this family to break apart with everyone taking sides—please don’t. Deej and I will continue to support each other as we try to heal and move forward from this. We will continue to love you and make you proud, but we hope you understand that this is something we really need. We hope you can join us in this healing process and not let those precious memories go to waste. Kaya natin (‘to).
Deej, you gave me 11 beautiful years and the kind of love that I will forever cherish. I will always be grateful for you.
Daniel Padilla
Ikaw at ako
11 years. K [and] D. Pagibig.
Sa mundo, buhay at sa limitadong oras na tayo ay nandito,Isang malaking biyaya ang pagmamahal. Ang mahalin ka. At mahalin mo.
Ang mga alaala natin ay laging kong baon sa aking puso at magiging liwanag sa mga madidilim kong araw.
Thank you for dancing with me during my highs and thank you for singing with me during my lows
Our lives may drift away, but our love will still ride that tide.
Kathniels, una sa lahat. Maraming salamat sa (pagmamahal) ninyo. maraming salamat sa (napakagandang pinagsamahan) natin. Hinding hindi namin (ipagpapalit) at hindi makukumpara kahit anong pang gawin nila. Hinding hindi nila pwedeng sirain (‘yun). This is beyond show business. Pamilya kayo at mga kaibigan.
Sabay natin yakapin ang bagong kinabukasan.
I pray for us to grow, and heal.
Bal, ang (pagmamahal) ko (sa ‘yo) ay walang katapusan.
Mommy Min Bernardo expressed her heartfelt gratitude to fans amid confirmed split of her daughter Kathryn with her former reel-to-real partner Daniel Padilla. In an Instagram post on Friday, Mommy Min shared throwback photos of her and the loveteam. “KathNiels, Kathcakes, Solid DJ maraming maraming salamat sa inyo, hindi dito nagtatapos ang ating pagsasama,” she reassured fans in the caption. (Instagram/Min Bernardo)
