Peruvian veterinarian María Pía Vallejos announced she was ending her relationship with businessman Gustavo Salcedo after footage surfaced showing him traveling to Spain with his estranged wife, former Miss World titleholder Maju Mantilla. Vallejos made the announcement to the entertainment program 'Amor y Fuego' after being confronted with the images.
A reporter for the show intercepted Vallejos in the Lima district of San Isidro and asked whether she was still involved with Salcedo, then showed her the video of him with Mantilla in Spain. Vallejos initially avoided answering, but after watching the footage she said she no longer wanted to be linked to Salcedo. She added that she would not comment on his marriage and that he and Mantilla were fully entitled to rebuild it if they chose to, making clear that whatever she had with the businessman was over.
Asked whether she felt her emotions had been played with, Vallejos rejected that idea. She clarified that she had never claimed to have a formal relationship with Salcedo, saying they had only been dating. The program noted, however, that she had previously said publicly that she hoped he would divorce Mantilla, a comment the show suggested pointed to a deeper emotional attachment on her part.
Vallejos declines to discuss private conversations
Vallejos went on to avoid confirming whether Salcedo had promised to separate permanently from Mantilla, and she declined to say anything negative about him. She said that some conversations she had with him would remain between the two of them, adding that each person knows what they have done and that she had nothing negative to say about Salcedo.
She repeated her request to no longer be associated with the situation and said she did not believe she had been part of any romantic game. According to the program, her voice and hands trembled as she spoke. She said she believed an intelligent woman knows when to step away, adding that for her it was not a game, that she had nothing to do with it, that it was a matter between the two of them, and that they were fully entitled to rebuild whatever they wanted. She said she was stepping aside, that it was their issue, and that she no longer wished to comment.
Who is involved in the story
Maju Mantilla is a former Miss World titleholder, having won the pageant in 2004 representing Peru. She has since built a career as a television host in her home country. 'Amor y Fuego' is a Peruvian entertainment news program hosted by Rodrigo González, known as 'Peluchín', and Gigi Mitre, and it has closely followed the developments surrounding Salcedo, Mantilla and Vallejos.
Mantilla arrived in Spain on September 10 and reunited there with Salcedo, who is still legally her husband. The trip, and the images of the couple together, are what prompted Vallejos to speak out and distance herself from the businessman.
Vallejos says she was together with Salcedo the day before his trip
After her initial comments, Vallejos issued a further message addressing the trip, according to the program. She suggested she had not known about the getaway in advance and said that she had still been with Salcedo the day before he left the country. She said she had been giving him the benefit of the doubt and observing the situation, and that she and Salcedo had been together up until a day before he traveled. She said that if a situation is confusing, she is not going to remain involved in it, and that once she saw the two of them together in Spain, she had nothing further to do there.
Vallejos also said that when she met Salcedo, he was already separated from the former Miss World and living alone, a situation she had understood to still be the case. She closed her message by saying she never wanted to be involved in a love triangle and that she would not stand in the way of that marriage flourishing again. She said that if it was Salcedo's happiness, she was not the one to judge him for it.
