MIGUEL DE LEÓN

Miguel de León talks for the first time about his breakup with Gaby Spanic:  "Yes, we are getting a divorce and even though it was painful, it is not true that I tried to kill myself when I split up with her!"

After living through some bitter times as a result of his breakup with Gabriela Spanic, with whom he shared 7 years of marriage, Miguel de León breaks the silence and talks, in an exclusive TV Notas interview, about his divorce from the actress and about her relationship with José Ángel Llamas (her current co-star in the telenovela, "La Venganza").

Miguel, what are your current projects?
A very well-written juvenile telenovela.  It's got a magical theme because it allows children to dream and to envision an enchanted world that's been lost.  Everything's almost ready.  It only needs a couple of details before taking off in April.

How do you feel emotionally?
Very well.  It's been some time now since I broke up with Gabriela and I feel it's been the best thing for everyone.

You seemed like such a wonderful couple, what happened?
We had been having problems for about a year.  I'm not saying that anything serious was taking place.  I want to make it clear there were never any third parties nor any violence (involved).  Nothing along those lines.  It's simply that things had changed over the years:  our interests, our lives' perspective.  I guess we wanted different paths so we decided that everything should be that way.

Did this separation affect you a lot?
I had already been through this some time ago.  One suffers a lot because there are things other than love that bind a couple together.  At some predetermined point in time the relationship has to break, and when that occurs, there's a great amount of pain.

How did you get over the pain?
Thanks to my wonderful family and to the friends who stood by me, helping me and looking out after me throughout the years.  They were a great help.  I believe that the people who really love you, remain throughout your lifetime.  And the rest, you never know.

What did you do to ease the pain?
I cried in the beginning as a release valve.  We both did, because Gabriela suffered too.  But things change and with time you begin to see that it was positive move; that the decision was the right one.  I was very depressed but I think there are problems that should be experienced one hundred percent so that one doesn't repeat them later on.

Is is true you tried to kill yourself?
I don't know who came out with that crazy news.  I'm not a person with suicidal tendencies.  I'm characterized for always remaining in control.  I did comment once that I felt like disappearing, but I meant it in the sense that I didn't wish to see anyone, that I didn't feel like giving interviews.  It wasn't about disappearing from the face of the earth; it was about disappearing from the moment.

Who decided on a divorce?
We both arrived at the same conclusion during a conversation.  We were convinced that the time had arrived and that it was the best thing for both of us.

What legal arrangement were you married under?
Under community property law.  We were a married couple and as such, everything belonged to both of us.

How will the property be split up?
It's already been divided.  We both agreed to it.  In fact, the lawyer who's handling the paperwork is the same one for both.  There are no other lawyers because nothing was ever contested.

Where do you live in Mexico?
We lived first in a private residence and then in an apartment, where I live now.  She left almost immediately for Colombia and I remained behind.

Do you have any communication with Gaby?
No, we haven't spoken in a long time.

Did your love end?
I guess it must have.  The only thing that nourishes a relationship and any plans/dreams a couple may have is love, and that no longer existed between us.  Everyone has a right to look for their happiness even though, lamentably, we humans do good things that appear bad.

Did you have another relationship before marrying Gabriela?
Yes, it was something that was born amid a whirlwind of ideals.  We used to work in the theater and it was a relationship bound in an intellectual world.  Over time, we realized it wasn't love, but it took me a while to make a decision.

You once said you were with her because you didn't want to be alone...
There are feelings that assail a person when relationships last a long time.  Deep inside yourself, you may no longer have the same feelings as the other person but you remain together for reasons that you need to change.

Would you say that what goes around comes around?
It's possible, because life is like a wheel of fortune.

Has what they've said about your separation affected you?
It's affected me because of Gabriela's reputation.  Because she was, definitely, the woman I spent seven years of my life with and it hurts me to see her good name blemished.  I don't think it's right to do that to her, because after a separation, each one is free to live their life as they wish.

What do you think about Gaby's relationship with José Ángel Llamas?
She has every right to remake her life.  If the person she's with right now is going to make her happy, then he's welcome to her world.  She's free to go out with whom she wishes.  She was never -at any time- unfaithful to me, because we were no longer together when she started her relationship (with José Ángel).  What happened is that people didn't know about our separation.

How long have you been separated?
We broke up last August (2002) and their relationship recently started.

Do you feel jealous?
No.  You feel jealousy only when you live/share with a person.  Since I am no longer with her, I feel absolutely nothing.

What did this relationship leave with you?
There's always something good that remains behind:  beautiful things, many wonderful memories, an entire struggle together (to get ahead) in a foreign country.  I think that's essentially what remains with me from that relationship.

Why didn't you have children in 7 years of marriage?
Because we couldn't.  I guess the job commitments were more important.  She had to take advantage of the opportunity and the path that was opening up before her in the Mexican television.  If she had gotten pregnant, she wouldn't have been able to make -at the very least- one of three telenovelas.  Sometimes the career is essential, especially when you're beginning and you find yourself in another country.  That's what influenced our not having any children.

But, would you have liked to have had children?
Of course.  I was really looking forward to becoming a father.  But such is life.  What happened was for the best.  God not only has a place but a path reserved for us.  He's all-knowing and I trust in him.

Have you already closed this chapter of your life?
Of course.  It's a concluded story.  Now come the good things (in life).  Right now I'm at the stage of getting to know myself.  I've had to face things alone and I've learned from my mistakes.  I consider myself a better person and I'm at peace with myself.

Do you still have some of Gabriela's things?
No, everything in the apartment is completely mine.  I gave her sister her belongings and the few items that remain, such as photos and other objects, are stored away.

Are you open to love?
"Of course, I want to remake my life but in its own time," he concluded.