WHEN the topic of the most promising love team in the Philippine entertainment scene is raised, there’s no way that Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, popularly known as KathNiel, will be missed out.
But on late Thursday evening, Kathryn dropped a bombshell when she confirmed that their reel and real love team was over.
Weeks after they became the subject of split rumors, the two celebrities confirmed the real score about their relationship through their heartfelt messages for one another, which they posted on their respective Instagram accounts.
A chapter in their lives may have closed but KathNiel said the 11-year journey they shared together is something they will always treasure.
From being reel to real, here’s a recap of some momentous events in their life as a power duo over a decade:
2011 – first project together
The beginnings of KathNiel can be traced back to 2011 when Kathryn and Daniel were first paired in “Growing Up,” a teen drama series that the actress top billed along with Julia Montes.
Here, Kathryn played the role of Ella Dimalanta, a tough teenager but is a sweetheart who falls in love with her bad-boy classmate Patrick Rivero, portrayed by Daniel, who always picks on her but actually likes her.
But before KathNiel came into the picture, it was actually Daniel and Julia who were first matched, said Kathryn in a May 2017 episode of “Magandang Buhay.” In the same interview, Julia also shared how she couldn’t help but notice the spark between Kathryn and Daniel, as the two often goofed around each other during their “Growing Up” era.
2012 – A year of many ‘firsts’
Apparently, it was not just Julia who saw the chemistry between the two young stars.
A year after their first television series, Kathryn and Daniel landed their first primetime show titled “Princess and I” in 2012, where they starred along with Enrique Gil and Khalil Ramos.
The now 27-year-old actress gave life to a girl named Mikay, a long-lost princess of the fictional kingdom of Yangdon who grew up in the Philippines under the care of an adoptive family. There, she meets the arrogant Gino, portrayed by Daniel, who comes from a wealthy family.
During this time, Kathryn and Daniel had not yet confirmed the real score between them amidst their growing popularity as onscreen partners, but Daniel revealed in Star Cinema’s “The Boyfriend Tag Quiz” in 2021 that he first said “I love you” to Kathryn during their “Princess and I” days.
It was not expressed verbally, though. The now 28-year-old actor said he conveyed those words by writing them down on a tissue paper.
It was also in 2012 when KathNiel worked on their first big-screen project, the romance anthology film “24/7 in Love.” Kathryn portrayed the role of Jane, a diehard fan of Daniel’s character Billy. The film also featured other love stories between different characters.
2013 – First solo film
Their solid chemistry propelled the two celebrities to their first solo movie called “Must Be… Love.”
This coming-of-age romance film follows two best friends, Patchot (played by Kathryn) and Ivan (played by Daniel), whose friendship will be tested when Patchot falls in love with her best friend and when her cousin Angel (portrayed by Liza Soberano) enters Ivan’s life.
Months after the first solo film premiered, Kathryn and Daniel again joined forces for another television series “Got to Believe,” directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina.
The series centers on the budding romance between KathNiel’s characters, Chichay and Joaquin, which started when they crossed paths in an amusement fair as kids.
2014 – Another box-office movie
Following the success of their first solo film, KathNiel gained more traction among local and international audiences when they headlined the 2014 romance-comedy movie “She’s Dating the Gangster.” This was based on a popular fictional book of the same name that was first published on the online platform for writers and readers, Wattpad.
As the title suggests, this Garcia-Molina film is about a young girl named Athena (played by Kathryn) who develops romantic feelings for a young and feared gangster named Kenji (played by Daniel).
In an interview with Pep in September 2014, Kathryn shared how glad she was to work on a huge big-screen project. It was reported that “She’s Dating the Gangster” racked up P15 million just on its first day.
“Nakaka-proud yung movie na ‘to dahil first time namin ni DJ na yung sa movie talaga namin ganito kalaki,” she said.
Also in Star Cinema’s “Secret Movie Files” video series on YouTube in 2021, KathNiel revealed that “She’s Dating the Gangster” is by far their “favorite movie” and it will always have a “special spot” in their hearts.
2015 – More mature roles
Kathryn and Daniel sent more butterflies to the stomachs of their fans when they top billed another romance film titled “Crazy Beautiful You.”
This 2015 film talks about how destiny lets two people with opposite personalities cross paths and fall in love with one another. Kathryn gave life to troubled and wild child teenager named Jackie, while Daniel portrayed a lively teenager named Kiko.
This broke the box office record in 2014, as the movie earned P32 million on its opening day alone.
In the same year, they made their comeback to the small screen with “Pangako Sa’yo,” which gained popularity in other countries including those in the Latin America region.
2016 to 2017 – More achievements
A year after the success of “Crazy Beautiful You,” KathNiel made a comeback to the big screen with romance-drama film “Barcelona: A Love Untold” in 2016.
Directed by Olivia Lamasan, the story follows Ely (played by Daniel) and Mia (played by Kathryn) who met in Spain as they are both trying to redeem themselves from their past experiences.
In 2017, Daniel and Kathryn added new feathers on their caps when they won their first-ever box office awards as Box Office King and Queen, respectively, for their performances in “Barcelona: A Love Untold” at the 48th Box Office Entertainment Awards.
The movie was also awarded Best Picture in the 65th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards.
2018 – Relationship confirmed!
Fans celebrated in August 2018 when KathNiel finally confirmed that they transitioned from being a reel pairing to a real couple.
But it was not in 2018 that they became an official couple. Daniel revealed that they had been together for “more than five years” already.
The duo had been posting a series of their sweet photos together on social media before confirming their relationship.
2019 – First solo project after 8 years
The two stars have been working together for back-to-back projects on small and big screens since 2011. But 2019 became a little different for KathNiel.
Kathryn starred in another romance film “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” but this time, she was not paired with Daniel. She was matched with Kapuso actor Alden Richards, making this project their first movie tandem.
“Hello, Love, Goodbye” became the “highest-grossing” Filipino movie and it has earned multiple accolades.
It was also in 2019 when KathNiel became the subject of breakup rumors, which Kathryn squashed.
2020 – Online series
As the world grappled with COVID-19 pandemic and everyone became more active online, Kathryn and Daniel starred in a digital series titled “The House Arrest of Us.”
This 2020 project revolves around a couple – Korics (played by Daniel) and Q (played by Kathryn) – whose wedding preparations did not go the way they wanted to when the government declared a lockdown. Their families end up living in the same house when Korics’ family went to Q’s for their “pamamanhikan.”
As the former couple celebrated their eighth anniversary in 2020, KathNiel bared more details about their dream wedding in an interview with “Magandang Buhay.” According to the two, they wanted to have a beach wedding.
2022 – 10th anniversary
Kathryn and Daniel indeed came a long way in their journey together. In 2022, they marked their 10th anniversary as a real-life couple.
They celebrated a decade of their romance in Thailand “in the most unforgettable way possible,” said Kathryn.
The actress posted a carousel of their romantic moments in the country on Instagram where she also delivered a sweet message to Daniel.
“Looking back on our 10-year journey together, I find myself smiling with so much pride. Because we did it… We did it, love! True love exists. Someone like you still does exist,” she captioned.
2023 – breakup confirmation
The word “KathNiel” has been trending on social media as they once again became the subject of split rumors.
Yesterday, November 30, the two celebrities finally addressed these speculations and confirmed that they have parted ways.
Kathryn first revealed their real score in an Instagram post, with a photo of her and Daniel and a long, heartfelt message.
According to Kathryn, she and Daniel had been “drifting apart for a while now, and we ultimately had to accept that we can’t go back to where we used to be.”
“What Deej and I had was real. It was never for show. We were together not because of the cameras, not because of the fans, not because of the money that comes with a successful love team. We were genuinely in love,” she said.
She also addressed their fans and said, “[W]e know you are hurting, and trust me, this also hurts us both more than you can imagine. The last thing we want is for this family to break apart with everyone taking sides–please don’t.”
The actress then addressed Daniel and thanked him for the over-a-decade journey that they shared with each other.
“Deej, you gave me 11 beautiful years and the kind of love that I will forever cherish. I will always be grateful,” she wrote.
Minutes after, Daniel also posted a long message on his Instagram page to confirm the breakup and thanked Kathryn as well.
“Sa mundo, buhay at sa limitadong oras na tayo ay nandito. Isang malaking biyaya ang pagmamahal. Ang mahalin ka. At mahalin mo,” he said.
“Thank you for dancing with me during my highs and thank you for singing with me during my lows,” he continued. “Our lives may drift away, but our love will still ride that tide.”
