MANILA, Philippines — Actress Marian Rivera has dismissed online speculation linking her marriage to a viral blind item about a celebrity “power couple” allegedly facing marital trouble.
The blind item, which circulated widely on social media, described an unnamed high-profile couple whose relationship was supposedly deteriorating due to the husband’s infidelity. Although no names were mentioned, many netizens speculated that the story referred to Rivera and her husband, actor Dingdong Dantes, because of their prominence and long-standing status in the entertainment industry.
Rivera moved quickly to clarify the issue through entertainment columnist Rose Garcia, who shared details of their exchange during an episode of the online show “Marites University” on Thursday.
“Ni-message ko si Yan (Marian). Sabi ko, ‘I’m sure aware ka sa blind item kung saan sa comments section kayong dalawa ni Dong ang binabanggit,’” Garcia said. (“I messaged Yan (Marian) and told her, ‘I’m sure you’re aware of the blind item where, in the comments section, you and Dong are being mentioned.’”)
According to Garcia, Rivera responded not with a phone call.
“Ang ginawa ni Yan, tumawag tapos [nangamusta]. Tapos ayan, itong picture na ito ay kanina lang habang magkausap kami,” Garcia said. (“What Yan did was she called and checked in. And this photo was taken just earlier while we were talking.”)
Garcia added that the photo was taken while the couple were attending their son Sixto’s football practice.
The actress reportedly emphasized that the blind item did not involve her family and noted that similar rumors have surfaced repeatedly over the years despite the couple’s consistent public appearances together.
“Sabi niya, ‘Ate, jusme. Ano ba ‘yang mga blind item na ‘yan?’ Parang sanay na sila kasi parang every year, lalo na raw ‘pag January, palaging may ganyang chika,’” Garcia said. (“She said, ‘Sis, my goodness. What are these blind items?’ They seem used to it because it’s like every year, especially in January, there’s always gossip like this.”)
Rivera and Dantes, popularly known as “DongYan,” have been married since 2014 and have two children, Zia and Sixto. Both maintain active careers in television and film and are often cited as one of the industry’s most stable celebrity couples.