MANILA — Maris Racal has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding her and actor Anthony Jennings, apologizing for her actions but clarifying that she had repeatedly asked Jennings if he was single and had broken up with Jamela Villanueva.
In a video statement released by one reliable media source, Maris took full accountability for her actions. “I will take accountability for everything. I made a mistake, and I want to say sorry for everything that I have done,” she stated.
Maris shared that the situation began earlier this year when she was “in a very dark place” and feeling lonely. Jennings, she said, gave her the attention she needed at the time, which led to the development of feelings between them.
“I knew that was wrong. I came clean right away. I told my ex everything, and I admitted things to him. And then we broke up,” Maris added, referring to her breakup with Rico Blanco.
She explained that the emotions surrounding her breakup with Rico made it difficult for her to process everything, and she did not take enough time to reflect on her actions.
After their split, Maris said she told Anthony that she had ended her relationship with Rico, and Jennings, in turn, claimed he had also broken up with Jamela.
Maris recalled working closely with Anthony daily, which led to their growing emotional connection. “He would be very sweet to me, he would be such a gentleman… He would tell everyone he was single,” she shared, which made her confident in acting on her feelings. She admitted she was unaware that Anthony was still in a relationship with Jamela.
“I would ask him, ‘Nagkabalikan ba kayo?’ He said ‘no.’ ‘Do you still love her?’ He said ‘no.’ He would say things like I was the one he wanted,” Maris revealed. “I really asked him so many times.”
Maris later requested that Anthony make a public statement about his breakup with Jamela, but the statement was only released last week.
“That’s why he couldn’t release a statement — because they were still together this whole time. I didn’t know. I was in the dark,” she said.
After Jamela shared screenshots of their conversations, Maris admitted feeling “truly, truly embarrassed” that their private exchanges were exposed without her consent.
“That’s her side of the story, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this is my side,” Maris emphasized.
Maris and Anthony gained popularity for their roles as Irene and Snoop in the hit series Can’t Buy Me Love, and they are also part of the Metro Manila Film Festival entry And the Breadwinner Is…, starring Vice Ganda.