Kris Aquino reveals break-up with Mel Sarmiento, shares health update

Kris Aquino on Monday revealed that she and former Interior secretary Mel Sarmiento have ended their engagement, with the host and actress sharing his last text message to her in which he accepted her offer to let him go.

Aquino broke her silence on her Instagram account after deleting social media posts that featured Sarmiento. 

"Sa pinagdadaanan ko ngayon, may tao bang gustong pagusapan pa ang kanyang paghihiwalay?" Aquino said.

(With all the things I am going through, do I still want to talk about my break up.)

"But in order for me to be able to peacefully move on, and focus on myself and my health, BECAUSE my sons still need me, Kuya Josh has autism, and Bimb will only turn 18 in 3 years, 3 months, and 16 days, I must end this chapter," she added.

She shared screenshots of what she said is Sarmiento's last text to her. 

"After that you will never read nor hear anything at all about him from me, because I still want to preserve whatever dignity I have left," she said.

Sarmiento's text read in part, "For the past two days, I had enough time to think about things and accepted the fact that ensuring you don't get COVID is an enormous responsibility.

"Given my nature, who loves to go out, I accept the fact that I already have a bubble fatigue and I will not be able to, sad to say, be able to continue living in a bubble."

He also said he refuses to compromise Aquino's health. She has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

"On that note, with a heavy heart I accepted your offer of letting me go. For I cannot in conscience be able to accept that something will happen to you that brought about my going out of the bubble. I will always cherish in my heart the happy moments we had together," Sarmiento said.

Aquino and Sarmiento—a former congressman who was Interior secretary in Kris's brother President Benigno S. Aquino's administration—became engaged last October.

In her post on Monday, Aquino also revealed that she will soon go abroad for treatment.

"I want to spare myself and my loved ones from further rumors & speculation. My health has continued to deteriorate, and I will soon fly abroad for further diagnostic tests and if needed," said Aquino.

"Do all the treatments and procedures to help address my drastic weight loss (I now weigh 88 lbs/40 kilos) and if still possible, strengthen my immunity. From last quarter of 2018, I've long known that my autoimmune conditions could only be treated BUT never cured," she also said. — BM, GMA News