Basketball star Ricci Rivero has finally opened up about his widely publicized split with actress Andrea Brillantes.
During an interview with Boy Abunda in his show "Fast Talk", he expressed his desire to clear his name, revealing that the situation had escalated to the point where his parents were being confronted in public places with accusations of him being a cheater.
While Ricci acknowledged that he could handle the false allegations against him, he felt it was necessary to step up and protect his family from the issues surrounding their breakup.
"First of all, ito 'yung main reason kung bakit ako mag-speak up, it's because of my family. Kasi kung ako lang, wala naman pong problema sa 'kin, sana naman po ako na maraming gawnag kwento, " he shared.
"Kung ako kaya kong tanggapin kasi alam ko namang hindi totoo. Pero kung sa family ko, siguro it's time for me to step-up. Kailangan ko po silang protektahan dito sa mga issues na ganito," Ricci added.
In the same interview, the 25-year-old athlete clarified the timeline of their breakup, stating that they had mutually agreed to a "cool-off" period last April. He further disclosed that the actual breakup occurred in the first week of May.
"April we took a littel break from each other. Siguro parang kailangan lang ng breather, something like that. 'Yung break up is first week ng May talaga," he revealed.
Ricci also clarified the cause of their separation, addressing the speculations circulating on social media about a girl he was seen with. He explained that he had repeatedly discussed this matter with Andrea, providing evidence that the girl in question was not associated with him.
He shared that he had met up with a male friend at midnight, unaware that the friend was accompanied by someone else, whom Andrea encountered.
"Pero ilang beses po naman naming pinag-usapan ito. Sobrang daming beses. Sinabi ko sa kanya with all the evidences I have na hindi sa akin yung girl. May papuntang friend ako [nung] midnight tapos hindi ko naman alam na may kasama siya. Yun ang inabutan niya [Andrea]," the former UP Maroons basketball player said.
Despite their highly publicized split, Ricci revealed that he and the actress remained on good terms.
"Nagkikita pa rin [kami] kasi maayos talaga yung breakup namin. Naiintindihan niya. Alam niya na hindi ko ginawa yung sa breakup lamang," he said.
Ricci and Andrea publicly announced their relationship through a proposal during one of his basketball games in April 2022.
