Fact Check: Is the KathNiel breakup a prank? Viral Kathryn Bernardo picture debunked 

Just a day after Filipino power couple KathNiel announced their split after 11 years of romance, some images surfaced online claiming it was a mere prank. On December 1, actress Kathryn Bernardo shared a lengthy message on Instagram stating that she and "Deej," aka Daniel Padilla, have mutually decided to part ways and that their love story started and ended with respect.

Daniel further confirmed the breakup in a separate Instagram post—the couple’s fanbase, known as KathNiel, was left in disbelief and devastation after learning of the news. However, soon after the announcement, some heavyhearted fans stumbled upon a glimmer of hope in the guise of supposed statements by Kathryn from her social media accounts, conveying the couple were still together in reality.

One of the images contained Kathryn’s purported Instagram story, where the actress shared a smiling selfie with a subtext declaring the prank. The second image played out as her X post, where she claimed the same, and a third image portrayed as her Facebook post stated,

“We love you KathNiel! Yesterday was just a prank to test you kung gaano kayo ka-solid samin! We’re sorry! Again, it’s just a prank.”

While this got many fans’ hopes up, several others clarified these were doctored images and imparted fake statements. A visit to Kathryn’s social media profiles proves that she did not post anything of this sort. Thus, Kathryn and Daniel remain broken up.

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Discrepancies in the images claiming KathNiel's breakup is a prank

As much as fans of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, who spent years admiring their love, want the reality of their separation to be some bad dream, the truth unfortunately says otherwise.

The edited images of Kathryn Bernardo's alleged posts, claiming they tricked their fans with the breakup statement, relieved some fans. But in their excitement, they missed certain factors in those pictures. The first is Kathryn writing Daniel's name as 'Dej' and not 'Deej' as she calls him.

The second flaw in one of the images was Kathryn's display picture on Instagram. In the viral image that made the prank claim, the photo shown as the 27-year-old's dp differs from what the actress's official Instagram account shows.

(Above) Kathryn Bernardo's official Instagram dp; (Below) Kathryn's dp as shown in the edited image. (Images via Instagram/@bernardokath, Facebook/Pinoy Videos)

The third discrepancy is Daniel Padilla's X handle, written in these images as @supremo_dp, whereas his official X handle is @imdanielpadilla.

(Left) Daniel Padilla's official X handle; (Right) Daniel's X handle as shown in the edited image. (Images via X/@iamdanielpadilla, Facebook/Pinoy Videos)

It is unknown who edited and uploaded these images, leading to the misinformation consumed by many KathNiel fans. However, the image containing Kathryn's alleged Instagram story had the logo of a Facebook page called "Tea Pa Mare."

However, upon searching for this page on the platform, a message appears on the screen stating the content is unavailable. It further adds that it usually occurs when the profile is either deleted or the owner shares it with only a small group of people.

Tea Pa Mare might have deleted the profile. (Image via Facebook)

It remains unclear whether or not Tea Pa Mare initially circulated these fake images and later deleted the page when it was called out for spreading false information. However, one bitter truth remains that KathNiel is no longer a couple, much to everyone's dismay.