Janella Salvador bravely opened up about one of her greatest heartbreaks and how she got over it as a single mom.
The heartbreak in question: her split with her former partner Markus Paterson. ICYDK, the two were together from 2020 to 2022. They are now in a healthy co-parenting for their son, Jude. In a tell-all interview with Karen Davila, the actress-singer talked about her past relationship with Markus. She details how it has affected her perspective as a woman and as a mother.
“I tried to help him. Alam naman niya ‘to. I’m not trying to ruin his image. He spoke about this already,” Janella said. She was talking about Markus’ revelation that his drinking problem was one of the reasons for their breakup.
It was perhaps the first time in a while that Janella got candid about her “traumatic” experience of living with someone with drinking problems. She vividly remembered how she would tremble because of fear and anxiety just by thinking that her partner would be coming home drunk.
Although she still enjoys a few drinks now and then, she admitted that if it was her partner who would come home intoxicated, she would still get anxious because of it.
“Actually hindi naman sa lasing in general, because I still enjoy a few drinks every now and then. But if it’s my partner that comes home drunk, ay grabe ‘yung anxiety ko. Nanginginig talaga ako. Even when it was with Markus, nanginginig ako mag-isa ‘pag alam kong nasa labas tapos uuwing lasing,” she explained.
Janella disclosed that she tried to get help for experiencing such instances. “I think I still need therapy for it now,” she noted.
Janella did not hesitate to share that she felt she was being pushed to her limits during those difficult times with Markus. “Siguro umabot din sa point na naramdaman ko na parang na-losyang na ako. Kasi I was trying to save the relationship, I was trying to take care of a kid, on top of all of that,” the actress expressed.
Aside from the mentioned instances, Janella believes that having to build a family at a young age heavily affected their relationship. She got candid and said that Markus wasn’t fully prepared to be a father at the time.
“We were very young. We were of the right age naman. Pero considered syempre young pa rin ang 22. Because those were your prime years when you were still enjoying your life. Siguro it took a toll on our relationship when Jude came and we weren’t fully prepared. He wasn’t fully prepared,” she told Karen.
Janella added, “Ako kasi, I’ve always wanted to be a mom. And I took it upon myself that once this baby arrives, I’m gonna give everything I can, I’m gonna raise him to the best of my abilities.”
How did Janella manage to break free from their painful relationship? It was all about taking control and deciding what was best for herself. Moreover, Janella noted how forgiveness is an important step in healing.
“When I released a statement, I felt guilty kasi minahal ko rin ‘yung tao. I felt guilty kasi sinisi ko rin ‘yung sarili ko na I could’ve brought it upon myself… Ako, I acknowledge that this person has taken steps to be better. Maybe he’s really sorry about what happened, but also I wanted to give space to myself,” said Janella.
She furthered, “I really had to learn to get by and heal myself on my own and to just forgive. I think grabe ‘yung forgiveness. Hindi kailangang mag-sorry ‘nung tao para mag-forgive ka. It’s not okay for women to experience that of course…”
Most importantly, Janella reminded everyone to never lose respect for themselves in any kind of relationship they’re in. “Para respetuhin ka ng tao, respetuhin mo rin ‘yung sarili mo. You should be able to walk away from situations na alam mo won’t benefit you,” she strongly declared.
Janella and Markus are both in a healthy co-parenting set-up for their son Jude. Janella feels appreciative of Markus’ efforts to bond with their son any chance he gets. “Pag wala siyang work, hinihiram talaga niya si Jude and that’s something I really appreciate. For me, presence is something that’s really important for a kid that’s growing up,” she shared.
But would Janella be open to reconcile with Markus as lovers? She directly responded, “Right now, hindi ko iniisip ‘yun, no. Okay na rin naman kami now, healing apart.”
It’s not a problem for Janella to celebrate the holidays as a single mom. She’s a proud single mother and a hands-on one at that. The future looks bright for the actress who has several projects lined-up for the year 2024.
And despite everything that she’s going through as a mother, Janella knows what she wants and how she will successfully achieve it. “I have plans. I have big plans for myself. But I think life day by day, I think the lessons na natutunan ko from all those situations, I apply them. Parang this time dapat maingat na ako dito, this time I won’t let these types of people in my life, mga ganon.”
