Dennis Padilla with his children Gavin and Maddie. Image: Instagram/@dennisastig
Dennis Padilla could not help but shed tears after he reunited with his children Gavin and Maddie, who have been residing in Australia with their mom Linda Marie Gorton.
Padilla documented their meeting at an undisclosed location through his Instagram page on Thursday, Sept. 12.
“After [four] long years, [nayakap] ko muli ang aking mga anak,” he said in the caption. “Love you both Gavin [and] Maddie. Saying goodbye was the hardest.”
The actor also showed the letter Gavin wrote for him, which reads: “Happy Father’s Day, Papa. I just want you to know that I love you and I missed you so much, and I am so happy to see you after [four] long years of not being with you.”
“This letter really broke my heart. Tears overflowing,” Padilla said. “Love you so much, anak.”
“My dearest Gavin Simeon, you grew so fast. The way you talk, move and think,” the actor continued in a separate post. “Love you, my son. Umagos ang aking mga luha nang mayakap kita muli. Apat na taon. Salamat sa Diyos.”
Dedicating a message to Maddie as well, Padilla said, “Tagos sa aking puso na muli kang mayakap. After [four] long years. God bless you more, anak.”
Just last April, Gorton spoke about her breakup with Padilla to respond to his “co-parenting” claims from an interview.
“We don’t have a co-parenting setup because since we parted ways in July of 2020, we never had a formal conversation about our separation and how we will raise our kids. Basta nakakausap niya lang ang mga bata,” she said at the time.
“Consistency in child support wasn’t always the case. Through the years, there were many lapses in between. And many times I had to, and still have to persistently ask for it kasi kung papabayaan ko matagal at kulang-kulang ang padala,” she disclosed.
Gorton also said that there were more underlying reasons behind their separation, although she opted not to expound on the matter.