It’s rare for a young Filipino actor to openly criticize a veteran entertainment journalist, but Nadine Lustre did just that over the weekend when she slammed Philippine Star editor Ricky Lo for publishing an article claiming she had broken up with her boyfriend James Reid.

The article — which has since been redacted — also claimed Reid was “trying to cushion the impact” of the breakup on Lustre, making note of the fact that she has recently described dealing with depression following her brother’s untimely death. The item prompted Lustre to hit back with a strongly worded statement on Instagram, where she tagged Lo and his newspaper.

“First off, that was so low @therealrickylo @philippinestar,” she wrote.

Photo: Nadine Lustre/IG
“Second, none of what you said was true & It is NEVER okay to use someone’s mental situation/tragic past just to prove a point. Mental illness is a very sensitive matter,” she added.

The article in question was published by the Philippine Star on Saturday, with Lo alleging that a report on the entertainment site Pep.ph saying Lustre and Reid had broken up was indeed true.

“It was confirmed that Nadine packed up and left the Loyola Grand Villas (Quezon City) home of James that has served as their love nest for more than two years, and moved to a unit in a posh Makati condo. But even if they are now living apart, the un-couple is said to still see each other,” Lo wrote.

In the print version of the article, Lo added that Reid was “handling the breakup with care to cushion the impact on Nadine who has admitted grappling with mental illness,” following the suicide of her younger brother in 2017. The passage was removed from the online version of Lo’s article, though a retraction was not issued, merely a note saying the article had been “edited.”

Lustre’s clap back was remarkable given that younger local celebs are widely seen as being pressured to display courtesy and deference to showbiz reporters, especially those of Lo’s stature. Stars who don’t face the prospect of being lambasted in public, and having their carefully crafted public image shredded.

As of press time, Lo has yet to respond to Lustre’s post.