Maris Racal emotionally addressed the controversy involving her and Anthony Jennings. In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN on December 6, she broke her silence for the first time, emphasizing that she’s taking accountability for what happened.
“Lahat ng sasabihin ko ngayon ay galing sa puso ko. Today, I will take accountability for everything. Nagkamali ako and I wanna say sorry for everything I’ve done,” she said.
Photo: Maris Racal/Instagram
She reflected on June 2024, sharing that she was in a “very dark place” and “lonely.”
“I was getting attention from Anthony, the kind of attention that I needed. When I saw that there was this brewing attraction between Anthony and I. Nadala ako sa emotions ko and I knew that was wrong,” she continued.
“I came clean right away, I told my ex [Rico Blanco] everything, and I admitted things to him, and then we broke up.”
According to Maris, Anthony told her that he had already ended his relationship with Jam Villanueva by that time.
“I told Anthony that I broke up with my ex, and he also said the same thing,” she revealed. “I was so lonely and I was so vulnerable at that time, like everybody na kaka-break lang, would be so vulnerable. I was working everyday and sa lahat ng trabaho na yun, kasama ko si Anthony.”
The actress admitted that she developed feelings for her “Can’t Buy Me Love” co-star.
“He would be very sweet to me. He would be such a gentleman to me. He would say things to me, he would tease me on the set in front of other people. We would tell all the people who were close to me that he was single,” she added, reiterating that she felt confident in acting a “certain way” toward him because she knew they were both single.
She also noted that their closeness deepened during their trip to Italy.
“Noong pauwi na kami ng Italy, it was my birthday and we were stuck in the airport. The whole day, he would say things to me that were sweet. He would say promises, tell promises to each other.”
Maris recalled being surprised to see Jam’s TikTok reposts after she posted a photo of Anthony giving her a birthday cake, urging her to ask Anthony about Jam.
“I would ask him, God knows I asked him, ‘Nagkabalikan ba kayo?’ He said no. ‘Do you still love her?’ He said no. He would say things na ako yung gusto niya and all. I really asked him so many times,” she stressed.
She also acknowledged that the online criticisms she had been receiving were hurtful, prompting her to ask Anthony when he would release a statement.
“I asked him, ‘When are you gonna release a statement na wala na kayo?’ Because in the eyes of the public you are taken, but I know that you are not,” she said.
“He would tell me, he was waiting for the right moment. I didn’t want to be pushy and I didn’t want to aggravate things so I waited and kept quiet.”
Maris asserted that she repeatedly asked Anthony when he would release a statement following renewed criticisms against her due to Jam’s Instagram Story about crossing work boundaries.
“God knows how many times I begged for a statement. I begged him to fix [it] ’cause I’m so tired of getting bashed. He said wait, wait for the right moment.”
Although it was “too late,” she expressed gratitude that Anthony had already confirmed his breakup with Jam during the press conference for “Incognito” in late November.
“To me, it was too late. Because at that time, I was slowly distancing myself from him romantically. The infatuation and attraction died. But thank you for the statement.”
The actress stated that she thought everything would be clear until Jam posted the screenshots of conversations between them, which sparked cheating allegations.
“That’s her side of the story, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this is my side.”
Upon reading the screenshots, Maris said she realized the real reason why Anthony refused to release a statement right away as well as Jam’s “pain” and “wrath.”
“Kaya pala ganun, ’cause she was clueless about everything. I was clueless about everything. Maybe iba yung sinabi sakanya, and I can attest that iba yung sinasabi sakin.”
She then apologized to the public for seeing her intimate side, “I’m sorry that you got to see that very intimate side of me, ganun talaga ako pag nagbigay ng pagmamahal. It was supposed to be private.”
“I don’t wanna play victim here, nagkamali rin talaga ako. And I wanna say sorry to those people I have hurt.”
Maris revealed that she reached out to Jam in November to find out what’s happening between her and Anthony, but she didn’t get a response.
“I’m truly sorry for those people who supported me for 10 years. Alam nilang lahat na ginapang ko yung career ko,” she said. “Pinaghirapan ko lahat sa tulong nila.”
“I don’t know where I’m gonna go. I don’t know saan ako papunta. Whenever I go out whenever I walk I feel like a naked woman,” she continued. “Hindi ko alam ano gagawin ko. I’m so embarrassed, and I’m sorry you get to see that.”
Despite the recent controversy, Maris remained optimistic, “I can assure you, tuloy pa rin ako, tuloy pa rin ang laban, magtatrabaho pa rin ako kahit mahirap.”
“What you saw was not a perfect human. I’m far, far from being perfect. What you saw was a human being. Just a human being,” she concluded.
As of writing, Anthony has yet to speak up on the issue.
ALSO READ: Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings, Jam Villanueva Controversy: A Timeline
