One more chance: Local celebrity couples who broke up but rekindled their romance 

Most of the time, breakups take such a toll on us that we swear we won’t get back with our ex under any circumstance. 

But while most former flames do remain in the past, some people do give failed relationships another shot – including celebrities.

But is love really sweeter the second time around? These famous couples seem to think so! 

Maja Salvador and Rambo Nuñez

Maja and Rambo first dated in 2010. At the time, the actress was only 21 years old. 

Their relationship only lasted about four months, as she had to focus on her career and providing for her family. 

Their paths crossed again in 2018, and Maja ended up rethinking her stance on never rekindling their romance. Before that, the actress had been vocal in interviews about being the type to avoid revisiting failed relationships.

As to what pushed Maja to give her and Rambo’s relationship a second chance, she said that it was because of how accepting the businessman’s family was of her. 

In March 2019, Maja confirmed that she was in a relationship again with Rambo, and they got engaged in April 2022.  

The couple then tied the knot in an intimate civil ceremony in February, but only revealed this fact after having a destination wedding in July in Bali. 

Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo

Jennlyn and Dennis first became a couple in 2010. 

In an interview with MEGA, the two shared that they had developed feelings for each other after being paired in the GMA series Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak. They said that at the time, they had bonded over being parents – Jennylyn is mom to son Jazz, her child with Patrick Garcia, and Dennis is dad to Calix, his child with Carlene Aguilar. 

However, their relationship then had only lasted for more than a year, as they had considered themselves too “immature” then. Dennis explained that both of them didn’t have their priorities set when they were younger. 

After their split, Jennylyn dated host Luis Manzano while Dennis dated actress Bianca King. Both relationships didn’t last long. 

The two then reunited in 2014, but it was only in the March 2016 issue of Yes! magazine that Jennlyn confirmed that she and Dennis were  “exclusively dating.” Also in March, Dennis spoke about his romance with the actress, saying that what happened in their past had taught them to be better in their rekindled relationship. 

“Pareho na kaming matanda na. Mature na kami pareho. ‘Yun talaga ang importante. Mature ka na marami ka ng nare-realize. Marami kang dapat icorrect sa ugali mo, sa mga nangyayari sa buhay mo,” Dennis said.

(We’ve both grown up. We’re both already mature. That’s what’s important. We’ve now realized so many things. We’ve learned that we had a lot to correct about our behavior, about how we lived our lives.)

After dating for more than seven years, Jennylyn and Dennis announced in 2021 that they were engaged and expecting their first child in October of that year. Then, just a few weeks after their announcement, the couple tied the knot. 

Dennis, in an October 2022 podcast with Nelson Canlas, shared how happy was to have gotten back with Jennlyn. 

“‘Yun ‘yung nakakatuwa, na nangyari ‘yung hindi mo akalain. Tapos ‘di mo alam, siya pa rin talaga hanggang sa huli,” he said.

(That’s what’s so great about this, that it happened when I least expected it. I didn’t know it then, but it turned out she would be the one in the end.)

He added: “Pareho kami, never namin na-imagine na mangyayari ‘to sa mga buhay namin, na magkakaroon kami ng happy ending. Actually hindi pa happy ending, happy start.” 

(Both of us never imagined that this would happen to us, that we would get our happy ending. Actually, this is not a happy ending yet but rather a happy start.)

In April 2022, Jennylyn gave birth to her first child with Dennis. 

Joem Bascon and Meryll Soriano

Meryll and Joem first became a couple after working on the show I Love Betty La Fea in 2008. They parted ways in 2010 when Meryll moved to London to study. 

In 2019, the two reunited to work on the show Starla and the movie Culion. Also in December 2019, Joem confirmed that he and his girlfriend Crisha Uy had broken up.

Fans started speculating in January 2020 that the two had gotten back together when Joem was photographed with Meryll’s family during the New Year. But the two kept mum about their rumored relationship for most of 2020 until January 2021. 

It was then when Meryll confirmed that she and Joem were back together, by sharing a photo with their baby. 

“Happy New Year from our family to yours,” she wrote. However, at the time, the actress didn’t disclose the baby’s name, when she gave birth, or when she and Joem became a couple again. 

In an interview with Smart Parenting, the actress opened up about her rekindled romance with Joem. 

“It’s a sweet surprise na we reconciliated,” she said. 

Meryll then explained why they had broken up 11 years earlier: “I was a very different person back then,” she said. “It’s really my fault. Marami pa akong gustong gawin sa buhay ko (I wanted to do so much with my life). I was not ready to have a serious relationship.”

“It was just not the time for us,” she added. 

But now that they’re both “different people,” their relationship now has been “very calm and peaceful.”

“It’s a great blessing that we have found each other again.” 

Elisse Joson and McCoy de Leon

McCoy and Elisse met on the reality series Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7 in 2016. After the show concluded, they were paired as a love team and starred in television series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and The Good Son. 

In March 2018, Elisse disclosed in an episode of Magandang Buhay that she was having “communication problems” with McCoy. The two also made headlines in August 2018 when eagle-eyed netizens noticed that they’d unfollowed each other on social media. 

At the time, the two hadn’t even admitted to their relationship, but soon revealed that they’d broken up. 

McCoy and Elisse also belatedly opened up about their previous relationship in an October 2021 vlog, sharing that they had parted ways for more than a year. During that time, the two recalled that they didn’t even talk to each other. 

The two also worked together in the 2019 film Sakaling Maging Tayo, where they both said that they had to stay professional despite the turbulent status of their relationship. The two said that when they were working together for the film, they weren’t necessarily friends, as they weren’t on speaking terms outside of work. 

The two sparked reconciliation rumors in September 2020 after the actor posted a sweet photo of him and Joson. In June 2021, both confirmed that they were back together. 

In October 2021, they announced that they had a child, Felize McKenzie, whom they welcomed in April 2021. The two introduced their daughter to the public in a Pinoy Big Brother episode. 

While many supporters thought this would be the start of a happy ending between the two, breakup rumors between the two then circulated in late 2022. 

In early January, McCoy confirmed that he and Elisse had called it quits, noting that no third party was involved in their breakup.

“Hindi ko po intensyon na manakit ng tao o manloko. Sadyang dumating lang po sa point na sobrang bigat ng problema kaya po ako sumuko,” he added.

(It wasn’t my intention to hurt others or to cheat. It just reached the point where the problem was already too heavy so I gave up.)

The actor also penned a message to his daughter, writing that he hoped she would not look at him differently when she grows up. 

However, weeks later, the two celebs were spotted hanging out again. In a February interview, McCoy confirmed they were back together, noting that he was “happy” with Elisse.

 In March, the actress also shared new photos with McCoy. 

In her recent guest appearance on Magandang Buhay, Elisse opened up about what made her get back together with McCoy. She shared that it was the people around them who helped them reconcile their relationship. 

“I’m grateful kasi ang daming nagmamahal sa amin na nakakatulong din for us. Alam ‘nyo ‘yun, to come together. Kasi alam ‘nyong maraming sumusuporta sa inyo, maraming nagmamahal,” she said.

(I’m grateful that there’s a lot of people that love us and supported us. It was really helpful for us to work on things as we knew that there were a lot of people who were rooting for us.) 

The actress added that now she has her own family, she is no longer the type to easily give up on the people she loves.

“Hindi naman ‘yan basta susukuan lang agad eh. You have to work hard for it. And kahit anong mangyari, gagawin mo ang lahat talaga para magsama-sama kayo nang maayos,” she said. 

(It’s not something you can just give up on. You have to work hard for it. And no matter what happens, you really make sure to do everything to make it work.) 

Elisse continued that their daughter was really the pivotal factor that convinced her and McCoy to make things work between them. 

Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte

Loisa and Ronnie first confirmed their relationship in November 2018. But in their almost seven-year relationship, the reel-to-real couple also had major setbacks. 

The actor revealed that he had cheated on Loisa several times in the past. Despite this, Ronnie said that he was certain that it was Loisa he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. 

For her part, the actress shared that what made her decide to forgive her on-screen and real-life boyfriend was the fact that he owned up to his shortcomings.

“‘Yung point na inamin niya yung pagkakamali niya, ‘yun yung malaking bagay,” she said in an interview with Push. “So mas mahirap patawarin ‘yung mga huling-huli mo na, pero todo deny pa. Pero siya aminado siya, at hindi na niya uulitin, eh ‘di okay tayo.” 

(The fact that he admitted to his mistakes, that’s already a big deal. It’s harder to forgive someone who’s already been caught but still denies everything. But he’s upfront about it. And he promised that he wouldn’t do it again. So we’re okay.)

Loisa added that she also saw how deserving Ronnie was of her forgiveness, and that she chose to forgive to heal herself, too. – Rappler.com