Before KathNiel and KimXi were no more, 2023 was already rife with news of celebrities going their separate ways. In this yearend special, we looked back at famous celebrities whose stories we followed like, and tried to give a clear picture of how their breakup came to be. In some cases, we secretly shed tears when the inevitable announcements were made.
But as the saying goes, “A Broken Heart Mends With Time.” We hope that as we usher in the new year, a new love will spring from the hearts of our favorite celebrity ex-couples, just like the other couples in this list, who have found love again.
Despite the breakups, 2023 also saw the birth of some relationships between couples who only started dating recently or those who have been dating for a while but only chose to make their relationship public now. As they say, when something ends, something begins. The future might be bright for these people.
Let’s look back on the biggest celebrity relationship breakups, both local and foreign, that shocked our very own Tinseltown, as well as the biggest relationship announcements that made the fans believe in love again.
BREAKUPS
Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, show biz news that rocked the country’s entertainment industry was the breakup of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, collectively known as “KathNiel.” After eleven years of being reel- and real-life sweethearts, KathNiel finally threw in the towel in their relationship.
Months prior Bernardo’s announcement last Nov. 30, the couple has already been besieged by rumors of a split. But where there’s smoke, there’s certainly fire being fanned by rumors, or in this case, Padilla’s alleged cheating, mainly with Kapamilya actress, Andrea Brillantes. Neither Bernardo nor Padilla nor Brillantes have spoken up to confirm or deny the long-rumored cheating situation.
The former real-life couple started as a loveteam in 2012 in the teenybopper afternoon series “Growing Up,” which led to more projects that they have headlined together. Bernardo and Padilla had been together since 2012 but only made their relationship public in 2018.
The breakup rumors between Kim Chiu and Xian Lim started when entertainment insider Ogie Diaz claimed that the two have been separated for two months now and said they just couldn’t make an announcement as Chiu is still processing the separation while Lim is not one to debunk such hearsay.
When asked about the breakup rumors, Chiu said that they would like to keep it to themselves in the meantime. This was followed by Lim deleting all his YouTube vlogs with his girlfriend. In another interview, the actress said that her love life right now is currently on pause.
Andrea Brillantes and Ricci Rivero
One of the most followed breakups of the year was of Andrea Brillantes and Ricci Rivero, whose whirlwind romance started controversially, and sadly (or not?) ended the same way. In April 2022, the basketball player asked the actress to be his girlfriend via a public proposal after his winning match in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), which Andrea obviously said yes to.
Blackpink Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun
This may be a short-lived romance, but it was one of the most impactful to the audience given how big of an artist Jisoo is, and it’s her first dating reveal in her career. In August, dispatch revealed that the two were dating, which their respective agencies confirmed afterwards. However, in October, YG confirmed that the two had decided to break up due to their busy schedules.
