A blind item came out in Dolly Anne Carvajal's weekly column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer on February 5. The piece reported that the husband of a certain TV host has been having a "dangerous liaison" with a "pretty facialist" from a popular skin clinic.
On February 11, Kris Aquino celebrated her birthday—which all showbiz aficionados know to be February 14, the Day of Hearts no less—in The Buzz. Kris's family—her mother, former President Corazon Aquino, her sister Ballsy, her husband James Yap, and her son with actor Phillip Salvador, Josh—were on the set of the show to greet her.
And when James's turn came to give a message to his wife, people couldn't help but notice the tension and aloofness between him and Kris.
The following day, February 12, several tabloids carried the stories of a possible Kris-James marital problem. Even Kris's The Buzz co-hosts Cristy Fermin and Jobert Sucaldito wrote about the cold-shoulder incident.
Within days, stories of James's alleged extra-marital rendezvous with a Belo Medical Group receptionist—then only referred to as Hope—appeared in print and on the Internet.
By the following Sunday, February 18, the public was expecting Kris and James to clarify the reports. The two did, but through television.
Kris admitted that she and her husband have been having problems in their marriage. She fell short of providing any details, saying that whatever had to be said were already said between her and James. James apologized, still falling short of providing any clue as to what they were talking about, and added that whatever it was would never happen again.
The public was left with more questions than answers.
On February 20, PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) received information that the alleged other woman in James's life, Hope, was going to grant Startalk an interview.
Thursday, February 22, the seven-month pregnant Kris was rushed to the Makati Medical Center. An ABS-CBN source said that Kris had "medical problems related to her pregnancy." The term "false labor" surfaced. "Stress" became a corollary description to Kris's medical problems. Soon after, James's camp was reported to have pleaded with Startalk not to air the Hope interview.
On February 24, Startalk went ahead with the interview. Hope revealed that she had a relationship with James Yap that lasted eleven months. (See related PEP stories.)
JAMES'S SIDE OF THE STORY. In an interview with Korina Sanchez for The Buzz and Rated K that aired last night, February 25, Kris and James answered all the issues surrounding them.
"Wala kaming relasyon," James clarified.
He said sternly, "Nagugulat ako sa sinabi niya na ako pa ang naghahabol sa kaniya. Niligawan ko [daw] siya. Ang tingin ko kasi, parang hindi niya iniisip ‘yong mga sinasabi niya."
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) cager admitted that he knows Hope—he knows her because she arranges his visits at the Belo clinic.
