Kathryn Bernardo (left) and Daniel Padilla (right), more commonly known as “Kathniel”. Image from Instagram
Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla shook the entertainment scene when they confirmed their breakup after 11 years together, leaving their fans and celebrity friends in a deluge of broken hearts over the end of the “KathNiel” love team.
“KathNiel” is a combination of Bernardo and Padilla’s first names, coined to distinguish their love team from their peers. It is also used to call their collective fans.
Bernardo and Padilla confirmed their breakup in separate heartfelt letters on their respective Instagram accounts on Thursday, Nov. 30, where the actress said that they “drifted apart” prior to their split.
Bernardo’s post caught the attention of fellow celebrities, among them Anne Curtis, Ruffa Gutierrez, Denise Laurel, Angelica Panganiban, Carmina Villarroel, Iza Calzado, and Pokwang in the comments, with some “sending a lot of hugs.”
Friends’ messages of support. Images from Kathryn Bernardo’s Instagram
For his part, Padilla’s statement was filled with comments from Gutierrez, Vice Ganda, Joshua Garcia, Melai Cantiveros-Francisco, AC Bonifacio, Ogie Alcasid, Mavy Legaspi, Marco Gumabao, and Bianca Gonzales.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@supremo_dp
Without mentioning Bernardo and Padilla’s names, Chie Filomeno, Robi Domingo, and Bela Padilla appeared to mourn their split on X (formerly Twitter), with Padilla mourning over the fact that a “person was just meant to pass through one’s life.”
ang bigat…
— Chienna Filomeno (@ChieFilomeno) November 30, 2023
Hay 💔
— Robi Domingo (@robertmarion) November 30, 2023
I think the most painful part is realising a person was just meant to pass through one’s life. Never to stay, never to stay 🥹💔
…for us who watched them grow up together, acceptance and kindness in everything we say or do. 🙏🏻
— Bela “mapanakit” Padilla (@padillabela) November 30, 2023
Bernardo and Padilla were launched as a loveteam in the youth series “Growing Up” which ran from September 2011 to February 2012.
Dubbed as KathNiel, they worked together in a number of projects including “Princess and I,” “Got 2 Believe,” “She’s Dating the Gangster,” “La Luna Sangre,” and “The Hows of Us,” just to name a few.
The ex-partners were set to reunite for an upcoming film, although it remains unknown whether the project will push through.
Prior to the announcement of their separation, Padilla was reported to having been seen going out with Andrea Brillantes, who is now suspected of being the third party behind the “Kathniel” split. Brillantes, Padilla and Bernardo have yet to make a comment on the matter.