Maja Salvador knew what she was getting into when she allowed herself to be linked to Gerald Anderson. She was aware of his “heartbreaker” reputation, yet she still decided to take a risk with him.

“Ganun din naman ‘yung tingin ko sa kanya dati, nung mga panahong di ko pa siya kilala,” she was quoted by Push.com.ph as saying in an interview aired on the March 10 episode of The Buzz. “Siguro naman di talaga natin maiiwasan na makapagsalita ka o kaya makapag-isip ka ng di maganda sa isang tao, lalo na kapag may mga nagsasabi sa ‘yo (That was also what I thought of him before, when I didn’t know him yet. Maybe it’s unavoidable to talk or think negatively about someone, especially when you’ve been told about it.).”

Her opinion of the young actor has drastically changed since they started spending time together. “Sa nakikita ko parang si Gerald napaka-gentleman na tao. Siguro kaya sabi ko sa kanya… 'Kaya maraming nagagalit sa ‘yo (kasi) napakabait mo, sobrang gentleman (From what I can see, Gerald is a very gentlemanly person. Maybe that’s why I told him… 'People are get mad at you because you’re so nice, you’re such a gentleman'),’” she said, adding that she appreciates his support for her despite the many criticisms about their relationship.

However, Maja chose to keep quiet about her friendship with Kim Chiu, who, aside from being one of her best friends, was also Gerald’s ex-girlfriend.

“Ayoko nang i-defend ang sarili ko. Basta ako alam ko na alam niya na naging totoo akong kaibigan at hanggang ngayon andito pa rin ako,” she had said. “Kahit na anong mangyari kaibigan pa rin niya ako. Ang pagkakaibigan (dapat) nagkakaintindihan, pero andito lang kami sa lugar ngayon, sa sitwasyon ngayon kung saan na kailangan naming pagdaanan. Di ko man maibalik ‘yung friendship na kung anuman meron kami, pero sana in time ma-realize niya, ng lahat na andito ako bilang totoong kaibigan (I don’t want to defend myself. I just know that she knows that I’ve been a true friend and that I’m still be here for her. No matter what happens, I’m still her friend. Friends are supposed to understand each other, but we’re just at a situation where we have to go through this. I may not be able to bring back our friendship to how it was before, but I hope that she and everyone else will realize in time that I’m still here as a true friend.).”

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)