Jamela Villanueva and Anthony Jennings. Images: Facebook/Ampong Dental Essentials, Dookie Ducay via Instagram/@anthonyjenningss
Months after Jamela Villanueva’s controversial split with Anthony Jennings, Villanueva admitted that she is not yet ready to fall in love again, saying she wants to focus on herself for now.
Villanueva said she is “definitely” not ready to get into a new relationship, when asked on the sidelines of a launch event in Quezon City, where she was announced as the celebrity ambassador of a dental clinic.
“Definitely hindi pa po. Focus lang muna ako sa sarili ko (Definitely not. I want to focus on myself for now),” she said.
When Villanueva was asked if she’s ready to forgive the people who hurt her, apparently referring to Jennings and Maris Racal’s cheating controversy, she said she is “getting there” but it’s a “process.”
“Process pa rin. Ang forgiveness ay hindi super daling process but I’m getting there (It’s still a process. Forgiveness is not an easy process but I’m getting there),” she said, sharing that she’s been going through therapy for a “few months” to cope up.
Villanueva also briefly confessed that she chose to reveal the conversations between Jennings and Racal because she was pushed beyond her limits and that she had to defend herself.
“Napush lang din talaga ako. Ang dami nangyari where I don’t have anyone to defend me. Ang hirap din kasi when you’re judged by the people [kahit wala sila sa posisyon mo],” she said.
(I was pushed beyond my limit. A lot of things happened where I didn’t have anyone to defend me. It’s hard when you’re judged by people who are not in your position.)
While Villanueva said that she had already forgiven those who hurt her, she said it would still mean a lot to hear a “sorry.” She also added that moving on is about helping yourself get up after going through pain.
“Nakakatanggal ng tinik sa puso kapag nakakarinig ka ng sorry,” she said. “Moving on is not just about forgetting the past. It’s about kung paano mo tutulungan ang sarili mo after ng lahat ng nangyari sa’yo.”
(It removes the sting in your heart whenever you hear a sorry. Moving on is not just about forgetting the past. It’s about how you would help yourself to move forward after what happened to you.)
Jamela Villanueva during the Ampong Dental Essentials launch event in Quezon City. Image: Facebook/Ampong Dental Essentials
At some point during the interview, it was also mentioned that Villanueva and her brother, Jhamil, live together as both of her parents died due to cancer. She also shared that she has a heart problem which she got when she was only six months old.
Despite this, she said during the launch that she wants to show how one’s self-worth shouldn’t be negotiable.
“Ang self-worth ko ay non-negotiable. Never lose yourself in the process kung ano ang nangyari sa buhay mo. [Dapat] alam mo ‘yung values and principles mo (My self-worth is non-negotiable. Never lose yourself in the process no matter what happens in your life. You must know your values and principles),” she said.