Adrienne Bailon has split with Lenny Santiago. Adrienne made her announcement on The Real after Bailon had announced her engagement to Lenny in February. But the singer insisted she is not heartbroken or seeking sympathy, reported E! News .
“I’m not engaged anymore. We’re in a good place. It’s not an ‘awww’ thing, I promise you,” added Adrienne.
Bailon admitted that after being together for so long (the two had dated for awhile before becoming engaged), it was challenging to even consider making a change. But Adrienne emphasized that she sought to be true to herself.
“It was a hard decision to make when you’re with somebody for such a long time,” confessed Bailon. “I think, as women, we have a hard time with change. It was hard for me… you have to be honest with yourself.”
Before Adrienne dated Lenny, she was with Rob Kardashian for several years. Now Bailon is looking forward to a friendship with Santiago, leaving the door open to others in her new relationship role as a single girl.
“We’re going to be great friends forever. We’re gonna be OK,” predicted Adrienne.
Bailon and Santiago had kept their relationship under the radar for awhile because her breakup with Kardashian had received so much scrutiny. Lenny is a star photographer, manages Fabolous (a hip-hop artist), and serves as Senior Vice President of A&R, Artist Management at Roc Nation.
Adrienne feels that the publicity surrounding her breakup with Rob Kardashian was painful, according to Us Weekly .
Bailon subsequently revealed that she feels Rob is to blame for their split after appearing on Keeping Up with the Kardashians .
“To be stuck with that Kardashian label, that was so hurtful to me and to my career. I probably realized that too late—not that it would’ve affected my decisions in terms of who I dated, but it would’ve affected my decision to appear on the show,” said Adrienne.
Bailon continues to get dissed for the way that she treated Rob, and she emphasizes that she was young then.
“To this day, people will still say, ‘You ruined Rob’s life!’ and I’ll think, ‘Damn, I was still playing with Barbie dolls when I met him.’”
But it was more than youth that adversely impacted their relationship, says Adrienne.
Bailon feels that although people know Rob cheated on her, they expect Adrienne to take on the role of forgiving Kris Jenner’s son.
“It’s common knowledge that he cheated on me. It always bothered me that people were like, ‘Pero, why couldn’t you forgive him?’ Why are women always the ones who have to forgive?” asked Adrienne.
Bailey feels that the way that infidelity is viewed is sexist, contending that women who cheat on a man are put down, while when men cheat, women are expected to forgive and forget.
But Adrienne remains fond of her Cheetah Girls memories, reported E! News .
Reuniting recently with Raven-Symoné, Bailon and Raven showed off their dance skills from the Cheetah Girls film days.
“Oh my god,” joked Adrienne, “Why did I think this was a hot move?!”
[Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for ‘bethenny’]
