Barbie Forteza on her breakup with Jak Roberto: 'It wasn't as painful'

Barbie Forteza said that ending her seven-year relationship with Jak Roberto was "not as painful" as others expected it to be, sharing that they had a healthy relationship.

In her interview on Toni Gonzaga's ToniTalks, Forteza opened up about their breakup, sharing that moving forward from her previous relationship to singlehood was "smooth."

"It wasn't, actually [painful]," she continued. "Pero kasi hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero it just goes to show how healthy the relationship was," she said, saying they both agreed that the breakup was for their individual growth.

"It was a good run, definitely. We were very happy," she added.

Now in her self-love era, the Pulang Araw star said that one of the biggest lessons from her previous relationship was to make time for herself.

"Magkaroon ka ng me-time, para rin may sarili kang identity, makilala mo 'yung sarili mo outside of the relationship," she said. "Para rin ikaw sa sarili mo, nag-go-grow ka kahit nasa isa kang relasyon."

Forteza said that part of this was taking herself out on dates where she tries out cafes and restaurants she sees on TikTok. 

While she's enjoying her alone time, the Beauty Empire star said that she is not closing her doors for new love, despite being new to the dating scene again and coming from a seven-year relationship.

"Now that I'm single, I don't know when someone is trying to show interest or just really genuinely caring for me, like friendship lang gusto. Either be direct, or hindi ko talaga maiintindihan 'yan," she said.

When asked what qualities she's looking for in her prospective beau, Forteza said she prefers someone charismatic, clean-looking, financially stable, goal-oriented, family-oriented, and who has the same sense of humor as hers.