Dennis Padilla elated to receive birthday messages from kids Julia and Leon Barretto
(From left) Dennis Padilla, Julia Barretto, and Leon Barretto. Images: Instagram/@dennisastig, YouTube/Leon Barretto
It was an unforgettable birthday celebration for Dennis Padilla, sharing that he received heartfelt text messages from his children, Julia Barretto and Leon Barretto.
Padilla, who turned 62 on Sunday, February 9, took to his Instagram account to share photos of the messages he received from Julia and Leon.
In his message, Leon texted: “Happy birthday Papa. God bless always” while including a praying emoji.
The actor-comedian said he was “so happy” to receive a text from his son in the caption.
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Julia, on the other hand, hoped that her father would have a “good day and good year” ahead of him. “Happy birthday, Pa. Hope you have a good year ahead. Good health and more blessings,” she said in her text.
Padilla said he is grateful that the actress remembered his special day.
“Dear Juy… Ty for remembering… Miss you anak… Love you,” he captioned his post.
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Padilla’s tumultuous relationship with Julia, Leon, and his other daughter Claudia have long made headlines, following the fallout of his marriage with actress Marjorie Barretto. In a May 2024 interview, the actor said he is elated that their relationship is “starting to heal,” while acknowledging that deep wounds take time to recover.
He also said that he is hopeful that there will come a time when he would tell his side of the story to his children.
“Sometimes, ‘yung healing process [ay] medyo matagal lang [kasi ‘pag] medyo malalim ang sugat, may katagalan bago siya gumaling… ‘Pag may malalim na pain, medyo it takes time bago magkaroon ng healing. Ang importante [ay] the healing is starting now,” he said.
(Sometimes, the healing process takes time because the wounds are deep. It needs time to heal. If the pain is deep, it would take time before healing happens. What is important is that healing is starting now.)
