Alden Richards admits he fell for Maine Mendoza: 'Hypocrite ako kung hindi'
Alden Richards confessed to having romantic feelings for Maine Mendoza in the past—five years after their famous AlDub pairing ended.
The actor made the revelation in an interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, which aired on Monday, Oct. 9. When asked whether he considers AlDub as his biggest romance and biggest breakup, Alden was quick to say yes.
"Ang daming opportunities na dumating sa buhay ko because of it. I'm very grateful to Maine, I'm very grateful to Eat Bulaga! by all means, sincerely," he said.
"Kasi doon ko naramdaman na when you work hard for something, si Lord, kapag may hinihingi ka, hindi niya 'yun ibibigay sa panahong gusto mong makuha. He always has this magic of giving it at the right timing," he explained.
But like all good things, Alden and Maine's love team came to an end in mid-2018 when they decided to go their separate ways and pursue solo projects. Alden, however, emphasized that their "breakup" wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Let's remove the negative context of breakups in this conversation with AlDub because it doesn't necessarily mean that when you're going through a breakup, laging masama, laging masakit, laging malungkot," the local star said.
"It was a breakup because both of us, Maine and I, we needed growth. We needed to venture into our individual lives, to learn more, and move forward," he explained.
But with so much time that they had spent together as a love team, thanks to Eat Bulaga!'s soap opera parody segment Kalyeserye, did Alden ever see Maine in a romantic light?
"Yes, Tito Boy," he admitted.
"Hypocrite ako kung hindi and ayokong sabihin na alam niya, pero I did confess," he added.
Aside from Maine, the actor shared that he also fostered feelings for Miss Universe 2015 titleholder Pia Wurtzbach, who sometimes visited his workplace on Eat Bulaga!.
"Sa Eat Bulaga!, best friends sila ni Pauleen Luna eh. Every now and then, Pia would go there to say hello to Pauleen tapos nag-uusap sila. As in nakikita ko siya nang hindi naka-glam, 'yung puso mabuti," Alden recounted.
"I can attest that she remained the same," he added.
Maine tied the knot with actor Arjo Atayde in Baguio City in July. Pia has also been married to businessman Jeremy Jauncey since March.
Alden, meanwhile, is hoping to marry by age 35, but is still waiting for the one.
