MANILA, Philippines — Barbie Forteza has made her position on cheating unmistakably clear, but the Kapuso actress says the boundary she has drawn in relationships is actually about something much bigger: self-respect.
The award-winning actress addressed her viral comments about infidelity during the August 28 episode of Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, explaining why she does not personally believe a cheating partner deserves another chance.
Her original answer during the media conference for her upcoming movie Saving Cherry had already attracted attention online. Asked whether cheaters deserve a second chance, Forteza responded with an emphatic, “F–k, no.”
But during her conversation with Boy Abunda, Forteza offered more context.
She said she was raised to value herself and has learned to recognize the importance of her own time, attention and love. For Forteza, choosing to enter a relationship means voluntarily giving those valuable parts of herself to another person — making betrayal especially difficult to accept.
Her argument was essentially straightforward: if she chooses someone, invests emotionally in that person and gives them her trust despite having no obligation to do so, she sees little reason to remain after that trust is deliberately broken.
And Forteza stressed that the principle does not apply only to cheating.
She told Abunda that she would also reconsider a relationship involving anything that made her feel diminished, disrespected or treated as less than what she believes she deserves.
“That’s just for me,” Forteza emphasized, making clear that she was describing her own relationship standards rather than telling other people how they should handle infidelity.
Barbie Forteza confirms she is still single
The conversation also gave viewers an update on Forteza’s love life.
When the subject shifted toward relationships, the actress confirmed that she was “officially single.”
That status is consistent with comments Forteza made earlier in August, when she said she was not rushing into another relationship and was instead concentrating on herself, her career and her family.
At the time, Forteza described herself as someone who does not casually date and said she would only seriously go out with someone once she felt confident about the person and the relationship’s potential.
The actress has been single publicly since announcing the end of her seven-year relationship with fellow Kapuso star Jak Roberto in January 2025.
Importantly, neither Forteza nor Roberto publicly disclosed what caused their breakup.
Forteza described their separation as a “beautiful goodbye,” thanked Roberto for their years together and called the love they shared “exceptional.” Later reports also noted that she wanted details surrounding the former relationship kept private.
That distinction matters as Forteza’s latest comments about cheating circulate online: there is no verified basis for treating her remarks as an accusation against Roberto or as an explanation for their breakup.
Why cheating is suddenly part of Barbie Forteza’s movie conversation
The timing of the discussion is also connected to Forteza’s latest film.
Saving Cherry, directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal, places Forteza in one of her most mature movie roles yet. She plays Cherry, a newly married woman whose relationship is shaken by infidelity.
The film also stars Khalil Ramos, Mikee Quintos, Mika Salamanca, Sassa Gurl, AC Bonifacio and JC Alcantara, among others, and is scheduled to open in Philippine cinemas on September 2.
Forteza has described Cherry as the “wildest” and most freeing character she has played, while the movie’s relationship themes have naturally led the cast to face questions about betrayal, marriage and whether unfaithful partners deserve another opportunity.
From “date to marry” to the Las Vegas divorce debate
Forteza has also sparked conversation in recent weeks with candid remarks about marriage.
During the Saving Cherry media conference, she joked that her dream wedding would be in Las Vegas while wearing Vera Wang because she believed it would give her access to divorce.
The joke prompted lawyer and film producer Joji Alonso to clarify an important legal point: two Filipino citizens generally cannot sidestep Philippine marriage laws simply by marrying and later obtaining a divorce abroad.
Under Philippine law, the legal effect of a foreign divorce depends heavily on the citizenship of the spouses and the circumstances surrounding the divorce.
Abunda revisited the episode during his interview with Forteza, turning what began as a playful celebrity remark into another discussion about relationships, marriage and the boundaries Forteza says she has developed as she gets older.
The bigger message behind Barbie Forteza’s viral answer
Forteza’s blunt rejection of giving cheaters another chance may be the quote driving social media attention.
But her longer explanation reveals a broader message.
For the actress, the real deal-breaker is not simply one specific act. It is the moment a relationship causes her to question whether the time, trust and love she has invested are being valued.
That is why her latest comments are less about condemning other people’s relationship choices and more about defining her own limits.
More than a year after the end of one of Philippine showbiz’s most closely followed long-term relationships, Forteza appears in no hurry to replace it.
And when the next relationship eventually arrives, she has already made one thing clear: getting her trust may take time — but losing it could take only once.
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