Ricci Rivero, the basketball player, has confirmed the end of his relationship with Andrea Brillantes. In a statement shared on his Twitter page on Friday, June 9, Rivero requested privacy regarding their breakup and asked the public to respect their decision to preserve their friendship.
Although Rivero did not mention Brillantes by name in his post, fans quickly inferred that he was referring to their romance as he discussed his “relationship status.”
Rivero expressed regret for any disappointment caused by their split and urged people to avoid making false accusations.
I own up to the mistake of not making my relationship status public because I felt there’s no need to add up to what were going through. Please respect our decision to keep it to ourselves so that we can preserve whats left of our friendship. I hope let’s stop creating your own…
— Ricci Rivero (@_ricciiirivero) June 8, 2023
However, Rivero’s statement received a negative response, with some netizens accusing him of cheating on Brillantes. Speculations of infidelity arose from a now-deleted Instagram Story in which Rivero shared a photo taken and posted by beauty queen-turned-politician Leren Mae Bautista.
Si Leren Mae Bautista parang di beauty queen. Alam na may karelasyon si Ricci pumatol. Kaya di ka nakapasok sa Top 5 eh naekis ka tuloy ni Beatrice Luigi Gomez charing whahaha https://t.co/j9R7FFMQj0
— Unli Pops Fernandez (@AmoxicillinDion) June 8, 2023
https://twitter.com/konek_ph/status/1666816655798996996?s=20
Ricci kasalukuyang naghahanap ng Cross to save his ass. Charles! https://t.co/zdS7VSbNhg pic.twitter.com/DiR4CBZWu6
— MessMinchin_BINISONICJPN (@MessMinchin3) June 8, 2023
Ayaw kasing maniwala ni kumareng Blythe eh, sabi ng ekis 'pag apologist. 🤭 Bagay 'tong si Ricci maging bagong host ng Cheat Bulaga! 😂#AndreaBrillantes https://t.co/q8due7M6mU
— CHAKAPUSO ᥫ᭡ (@ChakapusoPH) June 8, 2023
It is worth noting that Rivero celebrated his birthday on May 25 with Bautista in Los Baños, where she serves as a municipal councilor. Photos on the beauty queen’s Instagram page show Rivero and Bautista distributing food packs to people in need.
Rivero and Brillantes officially became a couple in April of the previous year when he asked the actress to be his girlfriend after one of his University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball games.
As of now, Brillantes has not publicly addressed the matter.