A new chapter of peace: Priscilla Meirelles speaks her truth

After years of silence, strength, and soul-searching, Priscilla Meirelles has confirmed that her marriage to actor John Estrada has officially come to an end — a decision she says was made not in haste, but after years of fighting for her family and herself.

In a candid February 13 conversation with Boy Abunda, the former Miss Earth reflected on the profound changes in her life over the past year.

“A lot of things have changed. I’ve regained my peace of mind, yung happiness ko is back. And I am so confident about so many things. I really feel [na ngayong] bagong taon, bago [rin] ang buhay ko.”

With quiet resolve, she revealed the truth many had speculated about.

“We are no longer married.”

Priscilla disclosed that she initiated divorce proceedings in Brazil in 2024 — a step she deliberately kept private until everything was finalized.

“Bilang isang foreigner may karapatan ako to divorce my husband, so last year I went to Brazil and started the process of divorcing him. Actually, not last year, 2024, bago ako mag-guest dito [in 2025], I already went to Brazil and I didn’t announce to anyone kasi ayaw kong magsalita ng mga bagay na hindi pa napapatunayan.”

“I wanted to be ready so when I open my mouth, it’s a fact. So I went to Brazil, I processed the papers I needed to process. I left a power of attorney to my lawyer to apply for divorce,” she continued.

For Priscilla, the realization came when she could no longer see a shared future.

“For me, the marriage is no longer valid, I don’t see myself sharing a life with that person anymore.”

“I fought for 14 years and I got to the point where in hindi ko na kaya and I realized after a lot of things that happened, that the best thing for me is to really move forward mag-isa.”

She revealed that her decision was met with resistance at first.

“He was not happy. Actually, the first sentence he said was ‘Pri, bakit ginawa mo ‘yan?’”

“And sinabi ko sa kaniya, because as I’ve told you, I don’t see myself sharing a life with you anymore, and I don’t think there is any reason to stay married to you if I don’t see myself with you as my partner, as my companion. I don’t see a future with you.”

Looking back, she shared that love once guided her choice to marry.

“I got married to him because I saw a future. I wanted to build something with him. And we did build something during a certain time.”

“But a lot of things happened, Tito Boy, and our interests are not aligned anymore. Our values are not aligned anymore. The things that we look forward to are not aligned anymore. We’re just sharing a home so it does not make sense to me to be stuck in a relationship where you don’t have much to share with that person and you don’t see your future with that person.”

“In-explain ko sa kaniya. I’ve done a lot of things in a sense that I’ve warned him many times. I tried so many ways. I tried to fight him, I tried to be quiet. I’ve tried so many things to save the marriage.”

She even sought professional and spiritual guidance in hopes of salvaging the union.

“It did not happen unfortunately. His mindset was different. I wanted to save my family and he was having fun, mag-isa.”

Though she described John as “very sad,” she said he did not argue when confronted with her firm decision.

“Nagulat siya sa lahat. Because I’ve been there for a while. A lot of people call me a ‘martyr wife’ which I am not. It’s just I was fighting for my family. Karapatan ko ‘yun.”

At the heart of everything is their daughter, Samantha Anechka — the reason she fought as long as she did.

“Kasi wala akong buong pamilya nung lumalaki. I wanted to give my daughter a whole family, something that I did not have. That’s [where] I am coming from.”

“At the end of the day, we both loved her. Regardless of how he feels, what he believes, and he may think that [what] I did was wrong by doing what I did.”

“I also did that for my daughter because babae yung anak ko. I need to be a good example to her.”

In a moment of humor amid the heaviness, she alluded to outside influences that complicated their marriage.

“Madami sila eh. Hindi lang third…Buong barangay.”

Rumors of their separation first made waves in mid-2024, with public statements later describing the split as a “mutual” break — a characterization Priscilla has since rejected.

Yet despite everything, the former couple recently reunited for their daughter’s intimate birthday celebration on February 11 — a reminder that while marriage may end, parenthood remains.

Today, Priscilla stands not as a woman defeated, but as one reborn — grounded in peace, anchored in truth, and determined to move forward on her own terms.