Saying goodbye to the person who was with you on the road to stardom is never easy. But for these previous love teams, sometimes, it is necessary to find what you truly love.
The Philippine entertainment industry would not be the same without its ever-thrilling and fabricated celebrity couples — the Filipino celebrity love teams. Lots of teleseryes and blockbuster films feature back-to-back love teams that Filipinos cheer on and even fanatically follow. These celebrity pairs are also their companies’ top artists as they generate lots of money with their non-stop projects. At present, maintaining love teams remains the best formula for entertainment companies to market their productions.
"At present, maintaining love teams remains the best formula for entertainment companies to market their productions."
Even if these Filipino celebrity couples were initially forced to be together due to their on-screen chemistry, some were able to make it real and feel genuinely in love with each other. Some of these successful love teams who are together in real life are: Kathyrn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla (KathNiel); Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil (LizQuen); Elise Joson and McCoy de Leon (McLisse); and Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte (LoiNie).
However, next to these happily-ever-after celebrity love teams, are the ones who did not make it. These were the tandems who broke fans’ hearts when they decided to part ways. Some of these are: James Reid and Nadine Lustre (JaDine); Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber (MayWard); Donny Pangilinan and Kisses Delavin (DonKiss); Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto (JoshLia); Elmo Magalona and Janella Salvador (ElNella); Maris Racal and Iñigo Pascual (MarNigo); and Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza (AlDub).
Back in 2019, Maris Racal, who was partnered with Iñigo Pascual (MarNigo), said in an interview that their fans should be supportive of them as artists. Maris clarified that if their fans will only support them if they end up with each other, they should reconsider. After all, how can they, as artists, grow and mold the craft they want for themselves if they’re stuck within the pairing?
"After all, how can they, as artists, grow and mold the craft they want for themselves if they’re stuck within the pairing?"
Over time, this culture of caging love teams has become extremely toxic. This culture of fandoms towards their Filipino celebrity love teams can take a lot of opportunities away from the celebrities involved. While it is true that these celebrities would not have achieved stardom without the support of their fans, fans should not prevent them from becoming the artists they aspire to be.
"While it is true that these celebrities would not have achieved stardom without the support of their fans, fans should not prevent them from becoming the artists they aspire to be."
However, fandoms are not the only ones contributing to this toxic culture. Entertainment companies can also be considered as factors as they were the ones who fabricated these love teams to profit from them. And since they create big names with their pairs, they stick and do projects together to maintain or at least try to raise their positions in the industry. Yet, the pressure placed on them limits their creative abilities because they are restricted to always being the halves of their love teams.
Unfortunately, when these team-ups end, their fans usually become overly disappointed because their fantasy of a real-life celebrity couple gets crushed.
But on the bright side, despite leaving their love teams and strong fanbases behind, some celebrities found something else — something that they truly love. They discovered a life beyond their previous love teams which once brought them fame.
One of the most successful Filipino celebrity love teams was JaDine, where James Reid and Nadine Lustre both found and lost each other. For many years, JaDine was at their peak, with projects pouring in nonstop. However, in 2020, they separated as a real-life couple. At present, they are individually making their marks in the music industry. On top of that, they continue to be good friends while freely loving new people who enter their lives.
Maymay Entrata of MayWard also showed the benefits of ending a love team. We know that she has a good voice, but we did not get a chance to see this side of her when she was promoting with Edward Barbers. Now, she is becoming a star of her own by showing more of her talents. This is evident in her new song Amakabogera which skyrocketed her career as a singer and performer.
Janella Salvador of ElNella (with Elmo Magalona) is another celebrity who parted ways with her pair and moved on to a new and exciting life. Janella is currently the proud mother of a baby boy, Jude, with her partner and fellow actor Markus Peterson. And recently, she returned to acting and will be seen in the upcoming anthology series, Click Like Share.
Kisses Delavin and Donny Pangilinan of DonKiss also ended their love team but found a new beginning in their careers. Donny is now paired up with Belle Mariano, and their new film Love is Color Blind has been a huge success. On the other hand, Kisses molded her own path to becoming a pageant queen with the goal of empowering not only herself, but also other women.
Ending something that made such a big impact on your life is not bad at all if you are to pursue something that you really love. For these Filipino celebrity pairs who parted ways, they saw something more beyond their love teams. They paved a new path in which they can express themselves more freely without being constrained by the need to protect a love team and a fan base.
"Ending something that made such a big impact on your life is not bad at all if you are to pursue something that you really love."
Being in a love team is also not bad at all. However, as fans and casual viewers, we must remember that the celebrities behind these on-screen pairs are a person of their own. They, too, envision a life outside of their love teams in which they can be the artists they aspire to be.
"However, as fans and casual viewers, we must remember that the celebrities behind these on-screen pairs are a person of their own. They, too, envision a life outside of their love teams in which they can be the artists they aspire to be."
Graphics by: Sofia Vinuya
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