John Lloyd Cruz on co-parenting setup with Ellen Adarna: 'Maganda dynamics namin'
John Lloyd Cruz is grateful for having a smooth co-parenting setup with his ex Ellen Adarna, with whom he shares 6-year-old son Elias.
"There’s nothing to complain about," Cruz told The Philippine STAR. "Maganda ang setup namin, maganda dynamics namin, we don’t have any problems."
Cruz recalled hearing stories on the challenges of co-parenting, but for him, Adarna is commendable for the setup they have.
“Sobrang swerte ko. I’m very lucky. I don’t have any problems with my son, with our schedule. Everything is smooth," he said.
Still, Cruz admitted to having difficulties with their setup in the beginning.
"It’s not like we didn’t go through challenges, you know, before getting to where we are now. Everyone has their own story—this is ours, and I’m sure others will have their own as well.”
He also acknowledged that co-parenting is not limited to the child's real parents.
"Sino ba yung tumatayong parent sa anak mo na makakausap mo or makakabatuhan mo?" he said. "And that’s OK if yun ang diskarte mo. It’s your orchestration. Give it time."
Cruz also told the STAR how Elias reacted to having a baby sister. He noticed that Elias didn't know how to handle and manage it yet.
“Nung akala ko na parang a bit resistant, I would ask him, but you’ll know when kids don’t want to talk about it. But when he went home, he gave her a painting that he made,” he said.
“Ang galing. No (we didn’t coach him). Walang sinabihan sa amin, even yung close na pinsan niya and hindi ko nakita. And after I saw Ellen’s post, dun ko nakikilala 'yung anak ko ng wow, okay, galing ha," he added.
Cruz and Adarna began their low-key romance in 2017 and welcomed Elias a year later.
Breakup rumors started circulating in 2019, but Adarna only confirmed it in 2020.
In July 2023, Adarna shared that Cruz has been providing financial support for their child even after their split, adding that the latter even “insisted on doubling it.”
Later that year, Cruz also opened up about his fatherhood journey, saying Elias positively impacted his life.
The former couple have since started new relationships and are in a co-parenting set-up.
Adarna and Derek Ramsay married in November 2021 and welcomed their first baby together in October 2024, while Cruz confirmed his relationship with visual artist Isabel Santos in October 2023.