JaDine: We have broken up!!!

This is not fake news: James Reid and Nadine Lustre have broken up and they themselves confirmed it in a joint statement (reprinted verbatim in a while) aired by my fellow Waray Boy Abunda (who doesn’t know how to tell a lie, hehehe!!!) in his Tonight With Boy Abunda (TWBA) show last Monday night.

When The STAR reported last Jan. 4 that James and Nadine had broken up in a scoop headlined “JaDine: A case of too much, too soon?”, JaDine fans ganged up on me, called me names (some unprintable) and even “threatened” to haul me to court...for what, for telling the truth and nothing but? (Trivia: A lady politician even tried desperately in vain to make sawsaw in the issue, conveniently forgetting that the country is burdened with more pressing problems than a showbiz breakup. Ay naku, nasaan na nga ba ang utak ng ilan nating nahalal na servants daw of the people?).

I salute James for being a gentleman by being mum and not saying a word at the height (and the heat) of the issue. I presumed that, unlike in the past when he defended Nadine, this time James kept his cool (and his tongue) because I think he knew the truth and nothing but.

Unlike The STAR story strongly denied by Nadine (yes, Lustre and not Samonte as wrongly identified in the caption of the picture accompanying that scoop, mea maxima culpa!) in an Instagram story that she posted, I will not, even under the pain of imprisonment, deny the JaDine joint statement because I believe that they are telling the truth (and nothing but), that they are not liars as Nadine accused me to be (purveyor of fake news daw).

I am reprinting the JaDine joint statement at the risk of boring you to death since it has already gone viral and has reverberated from the four corners of Pia and Catriona’s Universe:

“It’s true that we have split up but not for all the reason (sic) that are being spread on the tabloids and social media but because after a quiet and mature conversation, we decided to focus on ourselves not only for our careers but more for our personal growth as we are still young and we want to achieve as much as we can. We are in good terms and are still really good friends and will continue to work with each other especially when it comes to music.

“Thank you for all the JADINE FANS for their undying support and we hope you continue to support us now and in the future. We shall forever be grateful to them for their love and understanding. Thank you.”

The joint statement came after Nadine posted her photos with James believed to have been taken abroad where they reportedly did a pictorial for a glossy magazine. They did look happy in the pictures. But if a picture paints a thousand words, as the song goes, then those pictures painted thousands and thousands of words left unspoken ...until the joint statement was issued.

By the way, an ABS-CBN press release about its 2020 productions includes a teleserye starring James with Nancy of Momoland. James initially begged off from the project and Joshua Garcia was eyed as replacement. Apparently, James changed his mind and reconsidered, and it’s back to a James-Nancy teamup. Worth watching, isn’t it? No word yet what Nadine’s new project is.

Oh yes, I agree with what Nadine wrote on her Instagram. I am rephrasing it just very slightly Ano ba naman ‘yan, it’s 2020 na!!! Ano na???

Meanwhile, excuse me while I reread my favorite Leo Tolstoy story God Sees the Truth, But Waits.

Sometimes, we don’t have to wait very long for the truth to come out. To quote The STAR blurb, “Truth shall prevail.” And, yes, it did!

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)