MANILA, Philippines—Heart Evangelista is making sure she doesn’t run into ex-boyfriend Jericho Rosales—not even by chance.
“I changed all my numbers,” Heart told Inquirer Entertainment during a break from her hosting chores at the recent “Kapusolympics” in Calatagan, Batangas.
In parties and other show biz gatherings, Heart said, she relies on friends to keep her away from Echo. “To make sure traffic is flowing smoothly,” she jested.
The couple fell in love while working together in 2005. Despite protests from her parents, the two publicly admitted they were lovers.
Last month, in a highly emotional interview aired on the Sunday gab fest “Showbiz Central,” Heart announced the breakup, pointing to a “third party.” She said trouble began when Echo made the indie film “I Love You Virus” with co-star Brianna Evigan, and a teleserye with Malaysian actress Carmen Soo.
Finished
In his own interview on the rival show “The Buzz,” Echo denied going out with any of the women.
Is a reunion impossible? “It’s finished,” Heart declared with finality. “I guess when you’ve given your all to a relationship, there are no regrets. It was easy to let go.”
Carmen Soo, arriving in Manila recently, insisted she had no romantic relationship with Echo. “We were together only because of the TV series. I was a victim of this rumor as much as [Heart] was,” she told “The Buzz.”
Heart has kept mum about Carmen: “I don’t want to comment on her. She’s not part of my life. I don’t even want to hear what she said about me in that interview.”
An ABS-CBN talent since she joined show biz in 2001, Heart recently moved to GMA 7. She used to be managed by Manila Genesis Entertainment, like Echo. Now her manager is Annabelle Rama.
Booked
“Tita Angeli (Valenciano-Panglinan, Genesis head) and I have not sat down and really talked. But we’ve had our formal good-byes,” Heart said.
“My new bosses are taking good care of me,” she said. “I’m booked for the next two years.” Heart co-stars with Richard Gutierrez in the new Kapuso series, “Codename: Asero.”
In September, after “Asero,” she said, she’s starring in a Pinoy adaptation of a Koreanovela. A Regal Entertainment film is also on the drawing board.
Plus, Heart is a mainstay of the Sunday variety show “SOP.”
During the breakup, when she felt alone, Heart said she drew strength from her parents and five siblings. She said she was especially close to elder sister Lisa, who is in the US.
Family loyalty
“In the end,” Heart said, “it’s really your family that will remain loyal to you. I spend a lot of time with my mom and dad now. I sometimes ask my mom to sleep over at my place,” she said, referring to her three-bedroom condo unit in Makati City.
She’s not ready for another relationship, but Heart said she’s open to “going out and seeing the world again.”
New people
She stressed: “I want to meet new people. If I meet someone that I could have good conversations with, I’m okay with that.”
Heart had a message to her supporters, too: “I hope this ends the long-drawn discussion about Echo. I don’t want to talk about him, not because I’m still bitter, but because I don’t want to dwell [on the past]. Let’s all move on.”
