Nikki Valdez said she has already forgiven the people who hurt her in past relationships, adding that she is in a good place with her family today.
At the Star Magic Spotlight press conference held on Monday, September 8 for The Art of Breaking Up, the upcoming stage production of ABS-CBN Teatro Kapamilya and PETA Plus, Nikki was asked if any of her own breakups came back to her while preparing for the play.
The actress said nothing from her past resurfaced, and pointed to the life she now shares with her husband, Luis Garcia. She shared that Luis, who works at ABS-CBN, even brought her to the venue before the press conference began.
"Hindi naman nanumbalik kasi masaya naman po ako. Masayang-masaya po 'yung puso ko ngayon at masayang-masaya po ako with my husband," she said.
Nikki said she no longer holds anything against the people who hurt her.
"Wala na akong ganun towards others. I think I've totally forgiven 'yung mga past breakups ko. Na-learn ko na 'yung art of breaking up. Pwede naman mag-heal ang tao," she said.
She admitted that reminders of the past will always be there, especially since she has a daughter from her first marriage. Still, she said she has grown enough not to let those memories weigh her down.
"There are times lang that, you know, you're reminded of the past. Well, I have my daughter from my first marriage, so it's forever gonna be there. Pero I think I've matured from that na hindi ko na kailangang magalit or ma-hurt ngayon. So, I think I've moved on from that, and I choose to be happy. I choose, you know, to give the full love that my daughter and my husband now deserve," she said.
Asked how to move on quickly from a breakup, Nikki said she used to believe that the fastest way out of heartbreak was to find someone new. She has since learned otherwise.
"Dati, noong hindi pa ako masyadong natututo sa mga breakups ko, I would think that jumping to the next relationship would be the best answer. Akala ko the next person na ma-meet ko will make me happy, pero hindi pala," she said.
Rather than hold a grudge, Nikki said she now looks at her past relationships as the reason she is stronger today.
"Ngayon, I think I have to thank 'yung pain na naranasan ko from my past relationships because ang dami niyang tinuro sa akin. And I wouldn't be this strong person now kung hindi ko naranasan 'yung mga 'yun kasi experience is the best teacher for me," she added.
For her, the only way through is to sit with the pain first, accept it, and take whatever lesson comes out of it. Friends and family can offer advice, she said, but the decision will always come down to the person going through it.
"You know, allow the pain first, acknowledge it, allow your journey na maranasan mo lahat 'yun, and then learn from it. Wala namang ibang sagot doon. Ikaw lang ang makakapagturo sa sarili mo. Kasi your friends, your family can only do so much and can only advise you, give unsolicited advice," she said.
"But at the end of the day, ikaw pa rin talaga ang magsasabi sa sarili mo o magtuturo sa sarili mo na, 'Tama pa ba itong relasyon na nandito, or should I leave already? And if I leave, what do you do after?' 'Yun 'yung dapat mong ituro sa sarili mo, kung paano mo ipi-pick up the pieces again," she added.
Nikki was also asked if there was a line from the production that struck her. She said she has not fully absorbed the script yet, but recalled one passage she delivered during the media launch.
"Ako, sa totoo lang, hindi ko pa na-absorb 'yung script namin. But what I can share is what I said in the prologue nung media launch namin. My line went, 'Hindi mo alam kung gaano kabigat mag-impake ng mga gamit habang nakatalikod ang taong mahal mo. And then one day, you realize and wake up, wala na. Hindi mo na siya mahal.' So, that gave me goosebumps na sabi ko, pwedeng mangyari. Pwede talagang mangyari 'yun – ngayon okay kayo, tapos paggising mo kinabukasan, wala na. It's like you're numb. You just don't feel anything. Pwede. It's possible. So, sakit, 'di ba?" she said.
The line, she said, made her look back at her own experience – including a breakup that came without warning.
"Imagine, galing 'yun sa kanta niya. Kaya 'yun 'yung sasabihin ko noon. So, parang na-realize ko lang 'yung napakasakit noon. So, that hit me really hard, that it could happen. And I'm trying to recall if it happened to me. I think it did. Yeah. Oo. Kasi merong magkasama pa kami ngayon, tapos nagplano pa kami, marami pa kaming gagawin. Nakatanggap na lang ako ng text na, 'You do your thing, I'll do my thing.' Ganon! Aray ko. Oo. Huwag niyo nang tanungin kung sino. Eh, basta 'yun na 'yun. Oo. Pero walang impake, eh. Kasi, ano, nag-boyfriend lang. So, nag-text lang siya. Ganon. Sakit 'yun, ha. Ganon mga ghostings noong araw," she added.
Nikki was married to Filipino-Canadian Christopher Lina, whom she met in Toronto in 2002. The two dated for five years before tying the knot in a civil ceremony in Canada in February 2007, followed by a church wedding in Makati that July. She moved to Toronto after the wedding, and it was there that she gave birth to her daughter, Olivia.
The couple separated in 2009, with Nikki citing the involvement of a third party. Their divorce was finalized by a Canadian court in 2011. Before that marriage, she was also briefly linked to actor Troy Montero, whom she dated in 2001.
She has been with Luis Garcia, who works at ABS-CBN, since 2014. The two got engaged in Vigan, Ilocos Sur in December 2017 and were married in Hong Kong in August 2018.
The Art of Breaking Up is based on Kung Paano Maghiwalay, the award-winning play by the late George de Jesus III, which first ran in 2009. The updated script, which added new monologues for a present-day audience, was his final work before he died in September 2025. The production is directed by Dudz Teraña.
The play follows a set of characters whose separate heartbreaks slowly intersect, tracing what happens when love alone is no longer enough to keep a relationship going. Nikki alternates with Janella Salvador in the role of Lou, daughter of longtime couple Ben and Anita.
The ensemble also includes Jake Cuenca, JC Alcantara, Yen Santos, Brent Manalo, Teroy Guzman, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Bibeth Orteza, Ruby Ruiz, Anna Luna, AJ Sison, Analain Salvador, Jel Tarun, Jude Hinumdum, Yesh Burce, Dingdong Bahan, and Meann Espinosa.
The Art of Breaking Up runs from November 6 to December 6, 2026 at the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City. Tickets are available through TicketWorld.