Ricci Rivero and Andrea Brillantes. Image: Instagram/@ricciiirivero
Ricci Rivero confirmed that he and Andrea Brillantes have called it quits, asking the public to respect their decision to keep the breakup private and “preserve what’s left of [their] friendship.”
The basketball player spoke up about this through a statement released on his Twitter page on Friday, June 9. Rivero opted not to name Brillantes in his post, but fans immediately presumed that he was talking about his romance with the actress as he opened up about his “relationship status.”
“I own up to the mistake of not making my relationship status public because I felt there’s no need to add up to what we’re going through,” he began. “Please respect our decision to keep it to ourselves so that we can preserve what’s left of our friendship.”
Rivero then apologized for the “disappointments” their split had caused, at the same time appealing to the public to refrain from making “false accusations.”
“I hope let’s stop creating your own versions and dragging other characters into these false accusations. I am sorry for whatever disappointments it may have caused you—for everyone’s peace of mind, please allow ourselves to heal and move on peacefully without hate and pain,” he stated.
I own up to the mistake of not making my relationship status public because I felt there’s no need to add up to what were going through. Please respect our decision to keep it to ourselves so that we can preserve whats left of our friendship. I hope let’s stop creating your own…
— Ricci Rivero (@_ricciiirivero) June 8, 2023
However, Rivero’s post was greeted with ire, with some of the netizens accusing the basketball player of cheating on Brillantes. The cheating speculations apparently stemmed from a now-deleted Instagram Story of Rivero, wherein he shared a photo of himself taken and posted by beauty queen-turned-politician Leren Mae Bautista.
Image: Instagram/@lerenmaebautista via @ricciiirivero
It can also be noted that Rivero spent his birthday last May 25 with Bautista in Los Baños, where the latter serves as a municipal councilor. Rivero and Bautista can be seen giving away food packs in the photos shown on the beauty queen’s Instagram page.
Image: Twitter/@_ricciiirivero
Image: Twitter/@_ricciiirivero
Image: Twitter/@_ricciiirivero
Image: Twitter/@_ricciiirivero
Image: Twitter/@_ricciiirivero
Image: Twitter/@_ricciiirivero
Rivero and Brillantes officially became a couple in April last year when he asked the actress to be his girlfriend after his University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball game.
Brillantes has yet to publicly address the matter as of this writing. /ra