Nadine Lustre talks about late brother, mental health, breakup in ‘Mega’ documentary

MANILA, Philippines – Mega magazine released the Making Mega documentary for the issue that featured Nadine Lustre and James Reid on the cover. The video was filmed prior to the announcement of the couple’s breakup in January.

At the time of the shoot in Brazil, reports that Nadine and James had split were already circulating on social media.

In the video, Nadine said she didn’t mind the talk; that is, until Philippine Star entertainment columnist Ricky Lo wrote about her late brother Isaiah and her being “mentally unstable.” (READ: Nadine Lustre shares how she coped with depression after brother’s death)

“People were releasing articles about me and James breaking up, which really didn’t bother me at all. When Ricky Lo published that article which said that James is cushioning the breakup or he’s taking things slow because parang I’m mentally unstable, and he also mentioned my brother in the article, that’s when I lost it. I was fine with the breakup article. I didn’t care about it. But as soon as he mentioned mental illness and my brother, that’s when he crossed the line,” she said.  

“What my brother has gone through was not a joke. I can’t even imagine what was going through his head when that was happening to him. Until now, I still wish na I pushed him a little bit more so he opened up to me… I could’ve helped him, I could’ve done something.”

“Until now that’s still in my head, but now I’m more concerned with the people who are actually going through it, and who need people to lean on,” she added.

Nadine said that she’s grateful for the support system she has and believes that’s what people going through mental health issues need. “I guess it also helps that you have people to trust, you know? You can tell them everything you want and they won’t judge you for it,” she said.

(Nadine’s interview begins at around the 15:20 mark.)

“James is a security blanket. He is the first person who would always come to rescue, parang ganon. I’ve learned so much from him. It’s not just when I’m sad but things in life, in general. I’m always going to be thankful that that guy came into my life, no matter what happens,” said Nadine in the documentary, when asked about James. 

Although she and James are no longer together, the two have still been spending time together. (READ: James Reid, Nadine Lustre open up about each other post-breakup)

They confirmed that they broke up in a statement released on Tonight With Boy Abunda on January 20. (READ: JaDine: A timeline)

Nadine has been in the headlines for a different reason, too. She announced, through her lawyers, that she had “terminated” her contract with Viva Artists Agency. Viva contested her statement, saying she was still under them.

She is set to return to television via the show Burado with Julia Montes and Paulo Avelino. – Rappler.com