Diether Ocampo's ex-GF breaks her silence

MANILA, Philippines – The former girlfriend of Diether Ocampo sat down with “The Buzz” host Boy Abunda to discuss for the first time on television her relationship with the actor as well as their much publicized break-up.

Rima Ostwani, a half Syrian print ad model, and Ocampo were an item for 2 years. They met in an event and Ocampo, according to Ostwani, had described their first meeting as “love at feet sight.”

“He was texting so he was looking down. I passed by and he saw my feet. That was the first thing he noticed,” she laughingly recalled.

She said at first she didn’t want to get involved with an actor, thinking that all actors were womanizers. She eventually warmed up to him especially after learning that he helps poor children through his foundation, she said.

“When I met him one of the things he told me was, 'I have a foundation. I love children.' And he gave me a business card for his Kids Foundation. And suddenly I felt so guilty to have judged him,” she said.

When he began courting her, she shared that the actor would pick her up from work every single day. She eventually said “yes” to him because “they really connected.”

Balancing work, love

Ostwani said the 2 of them had great times together and that he was “a great inspiration.” Marriage, she said, was also part of their plans though not in the near future.

That was why when Ocampo had admitted that he was having a hard time balancing his work and their relationship, she felt depressed, she said.

“Nalungkot talaga ako kasi dati naman naba-balance naman niya. Tina-try ko talagang i-understand… mahirap talaga, masakit talaga [pero] is that enough reason to throw away what we had?” she said.

She shot down rumors that a third party was involved. She, however, did not deny that their relationship was not Ocampo’s top priority.

“There were a couple of very painful incidents that he put me through which I felt were unnecessary. That’s when I realized, ‘Wow, parang kung kaya niyang gawin yan, talagang he doesn’t give our relationship importance.’ I felt very much taken for granted,” she said.

She said she coped through prayers. She also drew strength from her loved ones.

“I was praying for enlightenment and He gave me signs. And those signs gave me the strength to move forward…. You try to stay positive. You try to pull yourself up because you don’t want to stay down there. I know I lost an important part of me but I still have my life,” she said.

She added that Ocampo “will always have a mark in my life.”