Maris Racal has finally addressed the issue surrounding her and onscreen partner Anthony Jennings.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Racal took accountability for what happened after Jennings’ ex-girlfriend, Jamela Villanueva, released screenshots of their private conversation on social media, which led to cheating allegations.
“Nagkamali ako and I want to say sorry for everything I have done,” Racal said.
She recalled that it was in June when she was in “a very dark place” and started getting attention from Jennings.
“When I sensed that there was this brewing attraction between Anthony and I, nadala ako sa emotions ko and I knew that was wrong. I came clean right away. I told my ex everything, I admitted things to him and then we broke up,” Racal said.
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The actress, however, clarified that Jennings had told her and those close to her that he was single.
“Bago magsimula ‘yung maraming trabaho namin, I told Anthony that I broke up with my ex and he also said the same thing,” Racal said.
“I was confident to act a certain way around him on the set because in the eyes of people there, we were both single,” she added.
Racal also mentioned that she “begged” Jennings multiple times to release a statement that he and Villanueva had broken up, as she was already receiving a lot of criticism on social media. However, Jennings told her he was still waiting for the “right moment.”
“I didn’t want to be pushy, I didn’t want to aggravate things so I waited and kept quiet because it was not my story to tell,” she added.
When Jennings released a statement about his split with his non-showbiz girlfriend on the sidelines of “Incognito” press conference, Racal said she was already distancing herself from the actor.
“It was too late because at that time, I was slowly distancing myself from him romantically. The infatuation and the attraction died, but thanks for the statement,” she said.
Screenshots released
When she read the screenshots of her and Jennings’ conversation posted on social media, Racal admitted she felt embarrassed but said she understood where Villanueva was coming from.
“I’m truly, truly embarrassed dahil nakita ng tao lahat ‘yon without my consent, against my will. I read the screenshots over and over and over again. Ang pinaka na-shock ako, it was the perfect narrative,” Racal said.
“That’s her side of the story and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this is my side and upon reading those screenshots, doon ko napagtagpi-tagpi lahat na kaya pala hindi siya [Jennings] makapag-release ng statement dahil sila pa pala this whole entire time. I didn’t know,” she added.
“I didn’t know. I was in the dark. I didn’t know. I had no idea. God know ilang beses akong nagtanong. Ilang beses akong nanghingi ng statement,” she continued.
Meanwhile, the actress apologized to the public: “I’m sorry that you get to see that intimate side of me. Ganoon talaga ako pag nagbibigay ng pagmamahal. It was supposed to be private.”
“I don’t know kung saan ako papunta. Yung dignidad ko, hindi ko na mahanap. Whenever I go out, whenever I walk, I feel like I’m a naked woman walking,” she added.
However, the actress assured her supporters that she would continue with her career in showbiz.
Both Racal and Jennings denied any involvement with each other in their statements when they broke up with their respective partners.
