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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Issa Pressman breaks her silence: An emotional confession on pain, love, and survival with Karen Davila

Issa Pressman breaks her silence: An emotional confession on pain, love, and survival with Karen Davila

Published Nov 13, 2025 08:10 am
After years of silence, Issa Pressman opens up in an exclusive, soul-baring interview with Karen Davila, premiering this Thursday, Nov. 13, on @KarenDavilaOfficial on YouTube.
Issa Pressman (left) and Karen Davila
Issa Pressman (left) and Karen Davila
With raw honesty, Issa opens the doors of her home with boyfriend James Reid as she talks about herself being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community as a lesbian while revealing her three-year battle with anxiety, depression, and self-harm, and how James and her sister Yassi became her constant source of strength.
She looks back on her humble beginnings with Yassi — they were two young girls helping their family after their father lost his job and with their mother having to leave the country to try to look for work for the family — and the quiet resilience that bonded all of them for life.
In one unforgettable moment, Issa breaks down, while James Reid, making a touching cameo, is seen fighting back tears beside her.
What moved the couple into such undeniable emotion?
Issa also opens up about her journey toward love, how she kept her silence in hopes for all the false rumors to die down, revealing for the first time that she was the second woman James dated after his 2019 breakup with Nadine Lustre and — a chapter that taught her about growth, understanding, and self-worth.
“The past is behind us and I’ve managed to see and be grateful for the growth this challenge brought,” Issa says quietly. “It’s about healing — for me, I dont want to lose another beautiful soul. We need this bullying to stop.”
Her story is a reminder that behind every smile, there’s a struggle — and that love, kindness, and courage will always light the way even through the darkest battles against the most cruel bullies.
This interview is not just a story — it’s a reminder that there may be
a life-and-death struggle behind every smile.
That kindness saves lives.
And that speaking out about pain is not weakness, but courage in its purest form.
Join Karen Davila and Issa Pressman in this heartfelt conversation that aims to break the silence surrounding mental health, bullying, and self-harm — and to hopefully inspire others to seek help, offer compassion, and believe in recovery.
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