90 Day Fiance star Jonathan Rivera is opening up about his split from wife Fernanda Flores not long after confirming the couple has parted ways.
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Jonathan, 32, revealed in an interview with In Touch Weekly he hasn't spoken to Fernanda since before Christmas.
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"I haven't spoken to Fernanda since December 22," Jonathan told the magazine. "I have a lot going on and so in the midst of all the craziness, I try to focus on what's important."
Jonathan reportedly said things had transpired between Fernanda and himself in recent weeks but he has chosen to keep those details private out of respect for his estranged wife.
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"What happened was things change, things change and people change and I can't help that," Jonathan said.
"I don't know how to help someone from changing who they are or who they were. Also, she's young, 20 years old. You have a tendency to continue to grow, you want different things as time goes on and I can't blame her for that."
Jonathan, who previously revealed Fernanda has been pursuing a modeling career, insisted he has always supported Fernanda's dreams and goals.
Jonathan said he's Fernanda's biggest fan and "she can tell you that."
But Fernanda shared a post on her Instagram account last month saying she was a "caged soul." She had accused a man of stripping away her self-worth until there was nothing left of her personality, although she did not name Jonathan directly.
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Jonathan and Fernanda were shown getting married on the Season 6 finale of 90 Day Fiance, which aired on December 30.
Rumors of the couple's split, however, began to swirl the weekend before Christmas because Fernanda was "airing our issues," as Jonathan had put it, on social media.
Jonathan then announced on New Year's Eve that he and Fernanda were celebrating the holiday separately.
Jonathan went on to post over 40 comments about the status of his relationship with Fernanda that night, confirming they had called it quits.
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"She left and then quickly had a change of heart. I decided I didn't want someone who was so quick to give up on everything I worked so hard to provide. Plain and simple," Jonathan wrote of Fernanda in a since-deleted Instagram comment.
Jonathan added at the time, "Eventually she hated where we lived. I tried many time to give her everything she ever wanted but it wasn't enough... She said MANY things you can't take back that I won't mention... She wanted to apologize and asked me to forgive her. I haven't."
Jonathan and Fernanda's romance didn't work out, but he apparently wants 90 Day Fiance fans to know their love was sincere.
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"My feelings for Fernanda were real and Fernanda's feelings for me were real. Fernanda's not a gold digger. Fernanda didn't come here for a green card," Jonathan told the magazine.
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Jonathan described his very-public love story as a bittersweet experience, but even in light of all the backlash from haters, he said he doesn't regret starring on the TLC reality series.
"I really appreciated all the support that I've seen on my Instagram and the people who can tell that I genuinely love Fernanda," Jonathan said.
"I gave it everything I had. I think that was very apparent in the show. None of that was edited, that was my heartfelt feelings. You know you can only give so much until you start giving yourself away... What I'm saying is, I guess there was a point where I realized it was never going to be enough."
Jonathan and Fernanda are currently nursing their broken hearts, but he remains optimistic about the future.
"Overall, I'm positive about 2019," Jonathan told In Touch. "I'm excited to be able to focus on building my business back and expanding on other opportunities for the new year."
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After Jonathan confirmed he and Fernanda had broken up on New Year's Eve, Fernanda posted a video on her Instagram account, saying, "I don't want to talk anything about Jonathan again. Please don't ask me questions about him... He's talking a lot; he can say whatever he wants."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski