Actor and businessman Jose Sarasola and Japanese star Maria Ozawa have officially called it quits.
Jose confirmed the news in an interview with PEP.ph, saying that he and Maria have mutually decided to break up due to their long distance setup caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To be honest, wala na kami. It’s been difficult, eh, it’s been very hard. LDR is very hard. We never expect this to be difficult,” he said.
Jose said the breakup happened some time in December, although he made clear that there were no third parties involved.
"Last December, we had a talk. We mutually agreed to part ways. Pero wala naman kaming pinag-awayan, big fight, third party. Wala naman talagang away. It’s like, ang hirap lang talaga ng LDR. We didn’t expect na ganito kahirap talaga,” he explained.
Maria left for Japan before the lockdown happened, thinking it would only last for months.
However, things that were out of their control eventually took a toll on their relationship.
“She left knowing na baka after three months baka mawala eventually, little did we know na naging global pandemic na siya. Up to now, she never came back. Nahihirapan talaga siya kasi sa mga rules ng mga foreigners coming back,” said Jose.
"But as time went by, it just took a heavy toll on the both of us, e. Nahirapan kaming dalawa. Medyo hard na to continue the relationship, parang it’s hard when your partner is not here."
Nonetheless, Jose assured that it wasn't a bad breakup and that he and Maria are still good friends.
"Pero ang kagandahan naman diyan, we’re still friends. And okay naman kami. We both agreed na it’s the best for us now that we both go our separate ways,” he added.
Jose and Maria became a couple in late 2016.
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