Ricky Martin opens up about Jwan Yosef divorce: ‘Not a recent decision’

Ricky Martin has spoken candidly about his divorce from Jwan Yosef, revealing that the decision to end their marriage had been happening for some time.

In a recent interview with Telemundo, the “Livin La Vida Loca” singer opened up about their breakup after six years of marriage. The 51-year-old singer confessed that the former couple had already separated before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When the public found out, we had already gone through a grieving process,” Martin said, per Hola’s translation. “Jwan and I will always be family. We have two children that we are going to raise together, and this is not a recent decision. We have been planning this situation for a long time, it’s pre-pandemic.”

The former couple, who first met through Instagram in 2015, share two children: five-year-old daughter Lucia and four-year-old son Renn, both born via surrogate. Martin is also father to 15-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino, who he had through a single-father surrogacy process.

The Puerto Rican singer revealed how he broached the topic of divorce with his children. “My children never saw a fight between Jwan and me,” Martin said. “That’s why it’s like: ‘Are you going to divorce, are you going to separate, how?’ because we resolved our differences with a good talk, maybe in our room.”

As for the reaction of his two older children, Martin added: “When we told them, it was like: ‘Well, Dad, are you okay, are you happy? Is this the decision? Don’t do it for us, we’re okay.’”

Speaking about his relationship with Yosef, 38, the “La Mordidita” singer explained how the two are “better than ever” after their split. “We look into each other’s eyes and smile, we hug each other, and we go through the ups and downs, we cry together, and we laugh together,” he said. “I even told Jwan we should write a book about how to get divorced properly. In fact, if someone is getting divorced, come and talk to us because we already have this figured out.”

Martin noted that their divorce has been “much easier” than they initially expected because they’ve processed it with “time and calmness”. When asked whether he’d be open to getting married again, Martin admitted that he believes in love but wants to “have a good time” for now.

“Take it easy! It was seven or eight years [with Yosef]. I want to have a good time, I want to enjoy life… Let’s take it easy, but yes, I do see myself in another relationship,” he said. “I’m not talking about the near future, but I like being in love, I like being in a relationship, I like waking up in the morning to a morning kiss, breakfast, and complicity.”

Martin and Yosef announced their divorce on 6 July, revealing in a joint statement: “We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and honouring what we have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years.

“Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centred on peace and friendship to continue the joint upbringing of our children, preserving the respect and love we have for each other.”

The former couple began dating six months after they connected on Instagram, following an in-person meeting in London. Martin and Yosef went public with their relationship at the 2016 amFAR Inspiration Gala, when they appeared on the red carpet together. That same year, they got engaged and were married by 2018.