Yearend Special: Biggest celebrity breakups, relationship reveals in 2023

Before celebrity couples KathNiel and KimXi were no more, 2023 was already rife with news of high-profile show biz pairs going their separate ways. In this yearend special, we looked back at famous celebrities whose stories we followed like, and tried to give a clear picture of how their breakup came to be. In some cases, we secretly shed tears when the inevitable announcements were made.

But as the saying goes, “A Broken Heart Mends With Time.” We hope that as we usher in the new year, a new love will spring from the hearts of our favorite celebrity ex-couples, just like the other couples in this list, who have found love again.

Despite the breakups, 2023 also saw the birth of some relationships between couples who only started dating recently or those who have been dating for a while but only chose to make their relationship public now. As they say, when something ends, something begins. The future might be bright for these people.

Let’s look back on the biggest celebrity relationship breakups, both local and foreign, that shocked our very own Tinseltown, as well as the biggest relationship announcements that made the fans believe in love again.

BREAKUPS

Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla 

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, show biz news that rocked the country’s entertainment industry was the breakup of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, collectively known as “KathNiel.” After eleven years of being reel- and real-life sweethearts, KathNiel finally threw in the towel in their relationship.

Months prior Bernardo’s announcement last Nov. 30, the couple has already been besieged by rumors of a split. But where there’s smoke, there’s certainly fire being fanned by rumors, or in this case, Padilla’s alleged cheating, mainly with Kapamilya actress, Andrea Brillantes. Neither Bernardo nor Padilla nor Brillantes have spoken up to confirm or deny the long-rumored cheating situation.

The former real-life couple started as a loveteam in 2012 in the teenybopper afternoon series “Growing Up,” which led to more projects that they have headlined together. Bernardo and Padilla had been together since 2012 but only made their relationship public in 2018.

Kim Chiu and Xian Lim 

The breakup rumors between Kim Chiu and Xian Lim started when entertainment insider Ogie Diaz claimed that the two have been separated for two months now and said they just couldn’t make an announcement as Chiu is still processing the separation while Lim is not one to debunk such hearsay.

When asked about the breakup rumors, Chiu said that they would like to keep it to themselves in the meantime. This was followed by Lim deleting all his YouTube vlogs with his girlfriend. In another interview, the actress said that her love life right now is currently on pause.

However, on December 23, Lim and Chiu officially confirmed their separation in separate Instagram posts. “End of a love story. It took me a while to say this until today. We owe our supporters the truth, but we also respect each other’s time of healing. In a relationship, love is always a significant factor, but sometimes love is not enough,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Lim penned a heartfelt message to his former girlfriend: “Dearest Kim, thank you for the long years we have spent loving each other. The 12 years of my life with you were the best gift I could ever ask for.”

The two started dating in 2012.

Andrea Brillantes and Ricci Rivero 

One of the most followed breakups of the year was of Andrea Brillantes and Ricci Rivero, whose whirlwind romance started controversially, and sadly (or not?) ended the same way. In April 2022, the basketball player asked the actress to be his girlfriend via a public proposal after his winning match in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), which Andrea obviously said yes to.

In March 2023, the former couple became a hot topic online after Brillantes asked Rivero to be her ‘Star Magic Prom’ date during the concert of the K-pop sensation Blackpink here in the Philippines. Blackpink member Rose noticed the ‘Kadenang Ginto’ poster that read, “I just want to ask Ricci Rivero, will you go to prom with Andrea?” to which Rivero responded with a nod.

The following month, the two celebrated their first anniversary together; however, in June, Rivero took to social media to announce that he and Brillantes had decided to part ways. He asked the public to respect their decision to keep the breakup private and “preserve what’s left of [their] friendship.” He also appealed to refrain from making “false accusations” and “dragging other characters” into it, a response to speculations that he cheated on the actress with beauty queen-turned-politician Leren Mae Bautista.

Miles Ocampo and Elijah Canlas

In November, Elijah Canlas confirmed that he and Miles Ocampo have broken up “a couple of months ago,” after two years of being together. He clarified that they remain on good terms, noting that he’s going to love and support the actress in whatever she decides to do.

Both actors have appeared in the 2022 series “Paano ang Pangako.” Ocampo and Canlas made their romance public in May 2022, a year after they started dating. In one of his interviews early this year, Canlas admitted that during the first year of his relationship with the actress, no one knew about it, as they tried to prove that it’s possible to keep a private relationship in showbiz.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn 

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s breakup rocked both the local and international industries, considering how lowkey they maintained their relationship for six years and how happy and in love they appeared in public.

In April, Entertainment Tonight released an exclusive report that the couple had called it quits, noting that the split was amicable and “it was not dramatic.” According to their source, “the relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows of Swift’s ERAS tour.”

The two started dating in 2016 and the fans were left in shambles after the split because Swift wrote many songs about Alwyn when they were still together, including her global hits “Lover,” “Gorgeous,” “Daylight,” “Paper Rings,” “London Boy,” “Invisible String,” and “Lavender Haze,” among others.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas

In September, TMZ confirmed that Joe Jonas had filed for divorce from his wife of four years and mother of his two children, Sophie Turner. According to the outlet, their source claimed that the reason for the split is because of the two having different lifestyles, namely that “She likes to party, he likes to stay at home.”

The following day, the couple released a joint statement on Instagram saying, “After four wonderful years of marriage, we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why, but truly, this is a united decision, and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.”

In 2016, the member of the Jonas Brothers and the Game of Thrones actress first connected on Instagram. Jonas proposed a year later, then the couple married twice in 2019—once in a ceremony held in the French countryside and the other in a surprise ceremony in Las Vegas.

Hye-ri and Ryu Jun-yeol 

Meanwhile, in the Korean entertainment industry, K-pop idol-actress Girl’s Day member Hye-ri and Korean actor Ryu Jun-yeol have also called it quits after seven years of dating. They met while working on one of the most popular Korean dramas, “Reply 1988.” After a year, they confirmed their relationship and became one of the longest-lasting couples in Korea for this generation until their separation.

Honorable Mentions: 

We’re calling them honorable mentions for now because, as of this writing, all of them haven’t denied nor confirmed the rumored split, but they have been part of the talk of the town in this year’s breakup season.

Kyline Alcantara and Mavy Legaspi

Since the beginning of their love team, Kapuso stars Mavy Legaspip and Kyline Alcantara haven’t announced the real status of their relationship; however, many are speculating that they are boyfriend and girlfriend already. But this year, breakup rumors surfaced online with a few hints that it did not end well. Legaspi’s mother, Carmina Villarroel made a cryptic post on Instagram reminding her children to protect their peace from certain individuals. Uncannily, Alcantara also made a cryptic post of her own about… peace.

Both camps haven’t made any official statements regarding the rumors as of this writing, though there are those who came to us to claim to know the real cause of their separation.

Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez 

Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez were considered one of the couple’s goals in the local entertainment industry given their frequent family travels with their two kids, which show how good they look together. However, the good thing must have met its end as the rumors that they have separated continue to roll online.

The breakup rumors between the two started when fans noticed that they were spending time with their children separately based on the pictures they were posting on social media. But the very thing that fueled the speculations was when Gutirrez’s mother, Annabelle Rama, said in an interview that her son is living with him and made a remark on Lahbati’s extravagant spending.

Not to mention the series of cryptic messages that Rama was posting online that Lahbati’s father, Abel Lahbati, was also answering in his own way. Despite all this, no official statement from Lahbati or Gutierrez themselves has been made public to confirm the separation.

Reveals 

Charlie Dizon and Carlo Aquino

Early this year, Carlo Aquino revealed in January that he and Charlie Dizon were in the “getting to know each other” phase of their relationship. The two first worked on the 2020 series ‘A Soldier’s Heart,’ which led them to develop feelings for each other and sparked dating rumors in December 2022 after being sighted together multiple times, notably on a trip to La Union with the actor’s family. In an interview in August, Dizon said that Aquino is her biggest surprise this year, noting that only the actor can make her feel certain feelings. Aquino previously dated Trina Candaza, with whom she has a daughter named Enola Mithi, before Dizon.

Julia Montes and Coco Martin

Following years of rumors and silence over their rumored-romance, Coco Martin at last admitted that he had been seeing Julia Montes for 12-long years. The two first worked together in the 2012 series Walang Hanggan. At the time, Coco was already 31 while Julia was still 17. After the actor’s confirmation, netizens have expressed their concern given how large their age-gap was and the fact that the actress was still underage when they got together. Despite the netizens’ reactions, the actors remained unbothered and continue to focus on their relationship. 

Issa Pressman and James Reid 

In March, James Reid and Issa Pressman posted photos of themselves holding hands during the Harry Styles PH concert, making fans assume that they were officially together. In 2020, Pressman was accused of being the third party in Reid and Nadine Lustre’s breakup. However, Reid responded to the allegations after the internet attacked his current girlfriend, stressing that there was no truth to the rumors that there had been cheating involved in his past relationship. Ever since then, Reid and Pressman have been appearing at many events as a couple.

Chie Filomeno and Jake Cuenca

Jake Cuenca started to hard-launch Chie Filomeno by posting steamy pictures of them together. He also admitted that they are “enjoying each other’s company” and was seen multiple times leaving flirtatious comments on the actress’ Instagram. In August, Filomeno confirmed that he was dating the actor, noting that they are not rushing their status and commending how gentlemanly Cuenca is for respecting her decision to wait.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

This has been one of the biggest relationship reveals this year, especially after Taylor Swift recently broke up with Joe Alwyn and her brief controversial romance with Matt Healy. The award-winning singer-songwriter has been seen multiple times cheering for Kelce in his football matches. The two were spotted doing many public displays of affection (PDA) that made fans giddy, looking at how in love and happy they are at the moment. In a recent interview, Swift clarified that the early days of her romance with the football player have been kept out of the public eye, noting they had the chance to get to know each other better.

Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge 

These two young stars have been a hot topic online as they have taken their romance on the road when they were spotted kissing at a gas station in New York on December 13. Rodrigo and Partidge were first seen enjoying each other’s company in October, then in December at the SNL afterparty. Whether this signals a real relationship or just a mere hookup, no one can deny that everyone is on the lookout for where this is headed.

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet 

After Kylie Jenner’s split with Travis Scott in January, Timothée Chalamet came into the picture sometime in April. In September, the two went public with their romance after they attended Beyonce’s concert. In the same month, Jenner and Chalamet made a public display of affection (PDA) in the U.S. Open with a lot of kissing and touching. To this day, the couple has been seen supporting each other’s endeavors and talking about each other in some interviews.

Blackpink Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun

This may be a short-lived romance, but it was one of the most impactful to the audience given how big of an artist Jisoo is, and it’s her first dating reveal in her career. In August, dispatch revealed that the two were dating, which their respective agencies confirmed afterwards. However, in October, YG confirmed that the two had decided to break up due to their busy schedules.

Blackpink Jennie and BTS Taehyung ‘V’ 

Just like Jisoo’s, this has also been one of the biggest dating reveals this year, despite leading to a split as well. The dating rumors between the two started in May 2023 after photos and videos of them having a romantic stroll in the city of love, Paris, circulated online. Despite their respective agencies not confirming their relationship, K-pop’s biggest stars have reportedly ended their long-rumored romance after Korean media outlet JTBC published an exclusive report stating that entertainment insiders are claiming Jennie and V recently decided to part ways ahead of V’s military enlistment.