Darren Espanto on his relationship with Cassy Legaspi: ‘We’re special friends’

Darren Espanto (left), Cassy Legaspi (right) | Image: Sarap, ‘Di Ba?

In show biz, love teams are almost always prone to be subject of public speculations, and singer Darren Espanto has responded again to questions about whether there’s a brewing romance between him and Cassy Legaspi.

In his guest appearance on “Sarap, ‘Di ba?” on Saturday, Espanto was put on the hot seat as he was asked, “Bukod sa pagiging close friends, ano talaga ang status niyo ni Cassy?” 

The singer-actor answered, “Cassy and I, bukod sa pagiging close friends, we’re special friends.”

Espanto further explained that everything between him and the young actress is genuine and that they are there for each other no matter what happens.

“Napag-usapan na rin naman po namin ni Cassy na kahit anong mangyari, we’re going to be a part of each other’s lives even in the long run. Everything is very genuine. It’s not like we’re rushing anything that’s happening,” he said.

Legaspi’s mother and the show’s host, Carmina Villaroel, then asked, “Can you have a boyfriend-girlfriend and at the same time a special friend?”

The 22-year-old singer expounded that being special friends can be with or without malice, as it can be platonic.

“Yes, you know, a lot of people have issues with Cass and I being with our own different friend groups, and they can’t grasp the fact that na pwedeng best friend lang namin ‘yung iba,” said Espanto.

Darren Espanto and Cassy Legaspi. Image: Instagram/@cassy

Biggest challenge as friends

Legaspi was then also put on the hot seat as she was asked what the biggest challenge was that she and Espanto had faced as special friends.

“Just like any other friendship out there, syempre minsan nag-aaway or something. But then, me and D Kasi, I don’t know, our relationship is hard to explain. But it gets na namin who we are to each other,” said the actress.

Legaspi noted that having other people pressuring their real status, whether as friends or more than friends, is one of the challenges that they are facing, but they are trying to handle that together.

“One of our promises to each other is that we will not let other people’s opinions get in the way of our friendship. I think that’s one of the friendship hurdles that we are going through right now, because there’s always a lot of people who are pressuring us. Basta dami nangja-judge and all. At the end of the day, we just remind ourselves who we are to each other,” Legaspi explained.

Espanto and Legaspi, collectively known as “CassRen,” will be starring in their first official project, “When I Met You in Tokyo,” which is an official entry to the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival.