Rabiya Mateo reveals she had doubts about dating Jeric Gonzales

Rabiya Mateo and Jeric Gonzales | Photo: Instagram/@rabiyamateo

Rabiya Mateo shared that she was initially hesitant to date Jeric Gonzales because of the negative comments people made about him. 

In a guest appearance on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” on Monday, March 11, the “Makiling” actress revealed that one of the challenges she and Gonzales first encountered as a couple was getting past the judgments of the people around them. 

“First time kong mag-date ng celebrity, and minsan kapag celebrity din ‘yung dinedate mo, ang daming opinyon, ang daming sinasabi about him and at first I was shaken about it,” she said. 

(It’s my first time dating a celebrity, and sometimes when you date a celebrity, you get many opinions, many things are said about him and at first I was shaken about it.)

Mateo remarked that she got torn between believing the opinions of others and believing Gonzales’ actions that gave the impression of his sincere intentions toward her. 

“Parang hindi ko alam kung paniniwalaan ko ba ‘yung pinapakita ni Jeric or ‘yung sinasabi ng mga tao about him kasi ibang-iba,” shared the actress. 

(It’s like I didn’t know if I should believe what Jeric was outwardly showing or what people were saying about him because they were different.)

The Miss Universe Philippines 2020 underscored that she eventually chose the “Start-Up” actor. 

“Si Jeric para kasing nakita ko gaano [siya] kaseryoso at pinaramdam niya ‘yun sakin,” she said. (Jeric showed me how serious [he] was and he made me feel that.)

The Filipina pageant titleholder underscored the importance of showing her appreciation for the efforts being made by her boyfriend. 

“Aside from communication, ako bilang babae, I need to be appreciative ng effort kasi minsan ‘yung mga lalaki marami na sila ginagawang effort na hindi natin napapakita na na-appreciate natin sila,” shared Mateo.

(Aside from communication, as a woman, I need to be appreciative of the effort because sometimes men put in a lot of effort that we don’t show we appreciate.)

The Kapuso stars first confirmed their relationship in March 2022. However, they got tangled up in breakup rumors three months later after eagle-eyed fans spotted that they had unfollowed each other on Instagram.

In October of that year, Gonzales confirmed that they broke up due to a misunderstanding, but in February 2023, the actor revealed that they had gotten back together.