For the very first time, Dingdong Dantes debunked the rumors that he had fathered a child of former teenage actress Lindsay De Vera.

During his appearance on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” on Thursday, May 9, Dantes asserted that there is no truth to claims that he has a love child with De Vera, adding there is need to finally clear his name.

“Wala po. Hindi po totoo,” he said, admitting that he had second thoughts the night before about whether he should speak about the issue.

“For me, because there are people who are calling me, friends, relatives, those who care about me, and because I have a responsibility to my loved ones—it is my responsibility to clarify this issue because this aspect is important to me,” the actor continued.

The Kapuso actor underscored that he loves his wife and family, so it is his responsibility to clarify the rumors.

“I have a responsibility to my family to clear things like this. I love my wife, I love my family very much, my kids. That’s why I’m saying that it is not true. To be honest, at first we just laughed it off, Marian and I,” he remarked.

“But it has also come to the point where many people are watching [the released videos]. Of course, it is natural that some will ask me questions. So, yeah, once and for all, I’m clarifying that he is not real,” added Dantes. 

The “Family Feud” mainstay host remarked that he had no idea why the rumors haven’t died after many years.

“I really have no idea,” he said. “It’s hard to speculate about that because, honestly, it’s my first time being in this situation.”

“I think it’s okay that I clear it because it’s really necessary because I love my family, things like this need to be clear,” expressed the actor.

In 2021, De Vera first broke her silence about the rumors, affirming that she had no romantic relationship with Dantes.

“I want to clarify my name as well as Kuya Dingdong’s name that we don’t have that kind of relationship. Wala po kaming gano’ng relasyon,” she said at the time.

“I never got Kuya Dong pregnant and we never had a relationship. I respect Kuya Dong very much as a person, as a husband, and as an actor,” affirmed the now 24-year-old actress.

Dantes and De Vera first worked together in the 2015 series “Pari ‘Koy,” followed by “Alyas Robin Hood.”

Meanwhile, Dantes has been married to longtime girlfriend Marian Rivera since 2014. They have two kids together, Zia and Sixto.