For the first time, actor Alden Richards opened up about his internal battles and emotional exhaustion.
In an exclusive interview with Nelson Canlas on GMA, the actor and host of “Stars on the Floor” revealed the silent struggle he faced in 2024, a time he now considers his lowest.
“Kung meron pang mas mababa sa rock bottom, I was there,” Alden shared.
He admitted that few knew about what he was going through, and the loss of his grandfather this January only made things heavier.
“I think last year was my lowest year, rock bottom. It took me six months to get over that. That was — na ay hindi naman siya clinically diagnosed — but that was depression at its finest. That was depression because ang galing nga, hindi lang halata. But you know why, before kasi hindi ko siya kayang pag-usapan. Kasi hirap ako. Ayokong magpakita ng weakness,” he confessed.
Alden said he came to a painful realization about how constantly giving to others had left him emotionally depleted.
“Inuuna ko muna lahat ng tao bago sarili ko. But last year, medyo I think that was my breaking point. Kasi minsan, ‘di ba tayo, we always go out of our way to help other people? Tulong tulong, tulong, bigay, bigay, bigay. Ang nangyari sa akin, paglingon ko dun sa timba ko, wala na palang natira sa akin. And then that broke me to a million pieces,” he said.
Now, he is learning to focus on self-love, finding healing through activities like running, biking and ticking off personal goals.
“’Yun ‘yung times kasi na when you’re clouded with a lot of negative thoughts and… alam mong meron kang mga kasama, alam mong nandiyan ‘yung mga taong nagmamahal sa’yo. Pero hindi mo maproseso ng tama ‘yung emosyon mo, hindi mo maproseso ng tama ‘yung pag-iisip mo. It’s very hard to be present. Na kahit nandito ka, wala ka dito,” he explained.
When asked about his love life, he made it clear that he refuses to let romance — or the lack of it — define him.
“‘Di ko gets bakit gano’n ang mindset natin palagi, na ang basis ng kasiyahan ng isang tao — love life. It’s just — this is my story and this is how I want my story to be told. Not based on the presumption of other people. I’m so done with that. I’ve been here long enough. I know I’ve done so much for the industry, and I would like to do more for the industry, right?”
