Dennis Padilla has been feeling the holiday blues as he is once again away from his children with Marjorie Barretto.

On his Instagram account, he posted a photo with a Christmas message for them

“Merry Christmas mga anak… Love you… God bless you more,” he posted.

The actor-comedian also posted individual messages for Leon, Julia, and Claudia, along with their photos. To each, he repeated his holiday greetings, along with saying how much he loved and missed them.

“Merry Christmas my son... Miss you!! God bless you more Leon Marcux 🙏🌲♥️,” he wrote to Leon.

“Dear Juy... Merry Christmas and more blessings to 2024...love you 🙏🌲♥️,” he said to Julia. 

He also said he hopes to reconnect with Claudia. “Dear Claui... Merry Christmas anak... Hope we can talk soon... Miss you 🙏🌲❤️,” he said.

Dennis and Marjorie got married in 1995 and split up in 2007. Their marriage was annulled in 2009.

The two share three children: Julia, Claudia, and Leon. Dani, Marjorie’s eldest daughter with former partner Kier Legaspi, also grew up with Dennis and he also considers her his daughter.

Despite their breakup, Marjorie clarified in a previous interview that she never discouraged her children from spending time with Dennis.

“People misjudged me, thinking I was encouraging my kids not to have a relationship with their father. As a matter of fact, even Dennis thought for a long time that I was the one preventing him from seeing my kids,” she shared.

However, there have been many hurts between Dennis and his children that caused them to drift apart. The rift between Dennis and his kids has been growing for almost a decade now. Dennis would often air his sentiments on social media, as he felt that it was one of the few ways that he could reach out to his children.

It was in 2022 that Dennis poured out his hurt over them not greeting him on Father’s Day, prompting an open letter from his son, Leon.

In a vlog that same year, Julia acknowledged that their relationship with their dad had indeed changed, although she said she still hoped to mend their relationship in time.

“I'm not sure if it can ever be the same again, but I do hope for healing and just ma-resolve,” she said.

In an interview last August 2023, Dennis shared that he is still waiting and hoping for their reconciliation.

“I've been reaching out for a long time matagal na. Almost nine years na. Parang natututunan mo ng mamuhay na kasama yung hurt. Nakakasanayan ko na," he said.

“Hindi ko alam kung forgiven na ako eh pero ako matagal na forgiven ko na sila. Hindi naman ako yung dapat mag-forgive dahil ako yung maraming nagawang pagkukulang," he added.

Aside from Julia, Claudia, and Leon, Dennis also has five other children. Diane and Luis are his children with Monina Gatus, while Rizzi, Gavin, and Maddie are his children with Linda Gorton.

On his Instagram account, Dennis posted a photo collage with all his kids.

“Dear Mga Anak... Love you all... More blessings to all of you... Happy 2024 🙏🌲❤️,” he said.