James Reid and Nadine Lustre made up one of the current generation’s most popular and most followed love teams, whose romantic relationship evolved from reel to #TeamReal.
Here is a timeline of their six-year love story, from humble beginnings to their shocking split.
2013
Nadine had been, for five years, part of local girl group POP Girls which was formed by Viva Records. Meanwhile, James, who had just won Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash 2010, was beginning to break through with his solo music career under Viva Artists Agency.
Sometime during that year, Nadine and James first met and their first impressions of one another was that James looked too “seryoso (serious)” (Nadine feared he was just “some foreigner who would be so hard to work with”) while Nadine, in James’ words, “looks like Kathryn Bernardo.”
In August 2013, their worlds officially collided, with Nadine starring in James’ music video for “Alam Niya Ba” as his leading lady.
2014
James and Nadine went on to debut in their first film together, titled Ang Diary ng Panget. It was a romantic comedy based on a top-selling Wattpad story. In the film, James is a rich and snobbish teenager who eventually falls for his “ugly” classmate, Nadine.
When they were first told about the project, James posted on his Instagram a photo of him with Nadine and wrote in the caption: “Hindi naman pala talaga siya panget… (She’s not ugly after all…)”
During that time, they were reportedly told to “know their priorities” and remove all distractions for the sake of their acting careers, which meant that the two had to break up with their respective partners. In an interview with Philippine Star, Nadine was quoted to have said about her then partner: “Masakit sa akin yun (It hurt me) because he was a good guy but I knew my priorities.”
In another interview, James and Nadine described their friendship as “just very close.” James clarified: “If I like a girl, I tell her right away… Ayoko nang paliguy-ligoy (I don’t like beating around the bush).”
Later that year, the two starred in another film, Talk Back and You’re Dead, which also became a box-office success.
The success of these two films led the two to sign an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN Network where they were launched as the newest love teams to watch out for.
They then went on to star in their first television mini-series together titled Wansapanataym Presents: My App #Boyfie.
October 2014
On Nadine’s 20th birthday, James posted a sweet greeting on his Instagram.
“This my favorite photo of us. Where it all started… It’s been a crazy year and it’s not even over yet. We’ve come so far and I couldn’t have done it without you. I hope you find the freedom you crave and the happiness you deserve. Happy Birthday Nadine! From: Your partner in crime,” he wrote.
A few days later, Nadine posted her own message for James. “You rocked my world, you know you did,” she said.
View this post on Instagram
January – February 2015
As the JaDine love team grew, the harder it became for James to keep up with the image his fans expected of him. In an article by Philippine Star, James was described as “a regular fixture in gossip blogs for his alleged walwal (drinking) nights and the different women he’s supposedly dating” after being spotted partying and flirting with an unknown girl during the Sinulog Festival.
“I want people to know who I am. I don’t want to lie about the partying and the girls,” he was quoted to have said. However, he did admit that he would feel guilty for possibly hurting Nadine with his actions. “When I think about Nadine and my career, I always say, ‘I shouldn’t have done that, I regret it.’ But when I think about my life as a whole…I feel glad I did it. I’m glad I was crazy, I was stupid, and I had fun. It’s always a battle between right now or overall.”
When asked about it, Nadine said: “I know my place. We’re a love team, but we have our own lives, too.”
“Let’s not be judgmental,” she added. “He’s not a saint. It’s his life. Let him do what he wants. As long as it doesn’t ruin him.”
James also dropped his second solo album, Reid Alert, in which fans unmistakably can make out the hints of Nadine—from her vocals in the song “Hanap Hanap” to their beach trip to Iloilo inspiring “Bonfire Love Song.”
However, they denied having any romantic feelings for one another.
“Mahirap. We might lose everything, the friendship, our careers, if it doesn’t work out,” Nadine explained.
“As long as we’re working together every day, I can’t picture us getting together,” James added. “But when we’re no longer working together? That’s a different story.”
April 2015
Nadine was spotted at a gym with her ex-boyfriend JC Arcinue. Days before the sighting, PEP.ph reports, Nadine had said in an interview with PUSH: “What’s good with our fans talaga (really)...Kinikilig sila sa amin pero (they love when we’re together but) they know na friends lang kami (that we’re just friends) and we are open, we are open to meet other people, to see other people, okay lang sa kanila (it’s okay with them).”
May 2015
In May, their third film, Para sa Hopeless Romantic, premiered in theaters nationwide.
Meanwhile, Nadine and her ex JC were spotted taking a vacation to the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan.
August 2015
The JaDine fever began to take hold as they starred in their first primetime teleserye, On The Wings of Love (or OTWOL), directed by Antoinette Jadaone. The two portrayed the memorable roles of Clark and Leah who were forced to get married so that Leah can legally stay and work in America.
The show became an instant favorite among Filipinos for depicting the struggles of being an overseas worker while bringing the kilig factor through Clark and Leah’s romance.
(ALSO READ: JaDine Fans Get Emotional After Antoinette Jadaone Posts This Clip from ‘OTWOL’)
October 2015
Nadine spent her birthday in South Korea to do some #SeoulSearching. On Instagram, James greeted her, saying, “Happy birthday! Got something for you when you get back.”
November 2015
Nadine was spotted attending JC’s pool party and was subsequently bashed by fans for doing so. JC then issued a statement a few days later on Instagram, clarifying: “Nadine and I aren’t together. I’m very supportive of her career, and I don’t want anything to ruin it, not even me.”
At the same time, James was reportedly accused of “kissing and flirting” with costar Julia Barretto at a bar in Bonifacio Global City, which James vehemently denied. “Give me a break. Does anyone really think I would have sex in a bar/public place? Stupid. If everyone wasn’t so gullible I wouldn’t even have to be explaining my private life right now. Cut the bull****. Stop the hate,” he said on Facebook.
January 2016
James shared a photo of him and Nadine by the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge on his social media as a tribute to their series OTWOL which was ending in a month.
On Twitter, ABS-CBN publicist Eric John Salut hinted at a real-life romance brewing between the two but retracted it after Nadine denied his statement. “I don’t know po who your source is but its not true. We don’t want the fans po to expect anything from us,” she told him.
However, in the last week of January, a photo of the two holding hands while sleeping on the plane went viral online.
February 2016
Their successful show, OTWOL, ran for six months, trended on social media every night, and ended in February 2016 with a two-part finale and a live viewing party at the Ynares Center, Antipolo City.
A week before the OTWOL grand finale, however, JaDine shocked everyone with a revelation that further cemented their place as the hottest love teams of Philippine showbiz.
During their JaDine in Love concert, James said “I love you” for the first time to Nadine in public. Later, James confirmed to news outlets that they were officially a couple, having expressed his affections for her over a surprise dinner the week before.
Although many scrutinized the announcement as a publicity stunt for their series finale, the way their relationship would progress in the years that follow proved that they truly were #TeamReal.
View this post on Instagram
August 2016
James and Nadine became the lead stars in new TV romcom Till I Met You directed by Antoinette Jadaone.
February 2017
The couple celebrated their first anniversary.
(ALSO READ: Jadine Just Celebrated Their 1st Year! Here’s A Look Back On Their Kilig Moments)
July 2017
Months later, rumors broke out that Nadine and James have moved into the same house. When asked about it in an interview, Nadine plainly said: “I mean, if that was true, so what? Hindi ba? (Right?) It’s not new anymore. There are younger couples—mas young pa sa akin (younger than I am) [who are already living together]. It’s normal na eh (already). Come on, guys, it’s 2017!” She then added: “I’m not gonna confirm, and I’m not gonna deny. But then, like, ano naman (so what)? Let’s all just be open-minded.”
This quickly became her signature line and the meme of the year as fans praised her for bravely fighting against the stigma.
During the same month, James released his first album under his own music label, Careless Music Manila, titled “Palm Dreams.” Nadine’s vocals were featured in the song “IL2LU” and she also directed the music video for “The Life” which premiered in December.
February 2018
The couple celebrated their second anniversary with a Siargao trip.
March 2018
After two years, JaDine made their movie comeback with Never Not Love You directed once again by Antoinette Jadaone. The two portray a couple who deal with the challenges that come with balancing their relationship and the pursuit of their dreams.
September 2018
The couple made their first appearance in the ABS-CBN Ball Red Carpet, stunning everyone with their captivating all-black ensemble.
View this post on Instagram
February 2019
The couple marks their third anniversary with yet another island getaway.
March 2019
The question of whether or not the two were cohabiting was finally answered by James in an interview with Vice Ganda. Vice had asked him how they keep their three-year relationship so fresh, and James casually responded with: “Well, we live together, so … sometimes kasi, araw araw kayo nagkikita, (it’s because sometimes, you see each other every day), no space, sometimes you get too comfortable, but then there’s days when she’s working, super busy, parang ngayon (like today), and when she gets home, it’s like, we really miss each other still, kahit isang araw lang (even just for one day).”
In the same month, Nadine had her own interview with Boy Abunda wherein she admitted that she couldn’t picture her life without James.
“For me, ‘yung naging transition ko (what became my transition) from who I was before to the person I am now is so beautiful na kahit hindi na kami ni James (even if James and I are no longer together), he will always have a special place in my heart,” she said. “I’m really, really thankful that he came into my life. It was so different before. He was the biggest instrument for my healing and for just discovering myself and finding myself.”
Last night i posted about “if it need yo end it’ll end” but i’m not able to digest #Jadine breakup!! I witnessed their relationship from strangers, friends, bestfriends to in a relationship. Please don’t ??
— 에이티니? ? 아미 ⁷ (@yssa199x) January 20, 2020
August 2019
Nadine starred in James’ new music video for his single “Fiend.”
September 2019
JaDine once again dazzled the crowd with their sparkling Modern Filipiniana outfits for the ABS-CBN Ball.
Source: Facebook.com
December 2019
Despite not working in any project this year, Nadine signed as one of the artists for Careless Music Manila.
Meanwhile, she started posting cryptic posts on Instagram, sparking rumors that she and James have broken up. Some of her captions read: “I can’t be who you want” and “for good reason, lost all of my love.”
January 2020
News broke out on PEP.ph on New Year’s Day that James and Nadine have called it quits due to “irreconcilable differences.”
Entertainment writer Ricky Lo then published a story on Philippine Star affirming their split as “true, and not fake news.”
Ricky said that James, according to an unnamed source, “is handling the breakup with care to cushion the impact on Nadine who has admitted grappling with mental illness.”
Nadine later criticized Ricky for what he wrote claiming that none of what he said was true. “It is NEVER okay to use someone’s mental situation/tragic past just to prove a point. Mental Illness is a very sensitive matter.”
(ALSO READ: Radio Host Called Out for Suicide Remark, Apologizes to Nadine Lustre)
Jobert Sucaldito then defended Ricky on his DZMM show amidst the public backlash. “We are not the ones behind all this. We don’t know anything about the lives of your idols. They’re the ones who created all these stories that we reported…Isn’t that what they want?” he said.
But what irritated many netizens was when Jobert seemingly made a suicide joke in reference to Nadine’s cryptic Instagram posts. “‘Di ba iyon naman ang gusto nila? Kuno-kuno na may mga labas ng puwet, naka T-back pa doon sa building, tapos may mga nakalagay na caption na parang gustong tumalon sa building. Sana tumalon na lang kung ganun din naman pala.”
(“Isn’t that what they want? They show off their butts, wear T-backs, and put a caption about wanting to jump from a building. She should have jumped if that’s the case.”)
Fans and celebrities then took to social media to call him out for making light of someone’s mental health. “#SuicideIsNotAJokeJobert” quickly trended on Twitter as a result. He has since apologized for his statement.
A few days later, James and Nadine finally issued a joint statement that they have indeed broken up.
(ALSO READ: JaDine has split up: “We agreed that going separate ways was best for both of us”)
According to them, their breakup was due to them deciding to focus on themselves not only for their careers but more for their personal growth. “We agreed that going separate ways was best for both of us,” they said. They added that they are in good terms and are “still really good friends.”
Reacting to their statement, Ricky Lo released his own in which he thanked the two for confirming the breakup “exactly two weeks after I broke the story in my STAR [column]. That is, after Nadine denied it with impunity.”
“I kept my cool and just said, ‘Just wait and see’ even when Nadine (while James remained silent) lambasted me for being a liar (purveyor of fake news) and thus emboldening her fans to [relentlessly] doing [the same] on social media,” he continued. “O, Nadine, ano na? 2020 na!!!”
(ALSO READ: Ricky Lo Reacts to JaDine Breakup: ‘The truth shall prevail’)
Meanwhile, rumors of a third party being the cause of their split started to surface as fans started to spread videos and photos in which James allegedly “kisses” Issa Pressman, the sister of Yassi Pressman, behind Nadine’s back. Yassi was the first to belie the rumors by posting a photo with Nadine and saying, “Be careful with the words you say, and things you THINK are true on social media. They’re not always the truth. Do not be so quick to point fingers, when you do not have the proper information.”
Nadine replied to Yassi’s post and said “I love you” to both her and Issa. James apologized to the sisters as well for getting dragged into the breakup issue.
Though the two have split up, it seems that they are still very good friends as they were spotted climbing Mount Ulap, going on vacation in Brazil, and partying in Poblacion.
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