He was heartbroken, but he kept quiet about it because he didn't want it to become a public affair.

But the longer he kept silent, the more the speculation grew - to the point where he was hounded repeatedly to give his side of the story.

Bobby Tonelli has now decided to break his silence on his break-up with Joanne Peh to gain closure and move on.

The 37-year-old DJ-actor released a statement on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

He hopes his statement would be sufficient to explain everything as he just wants to move forward.

All Tonelli would say when contacted Monday was: "I've never meant to hurt anyone. I haven't done it before and I'm not going to do it now. I'll be happy if Joanne finds happiness."

But his good friend, local actor Andie Chen, shed light on the ordeal that Tonelli had been going through since the break-up.

Tonelli never cheated on Peh. In fact, he was heartbroken when she chose to call off their four-year-relationship in January, Chen, 27, told The New Paper.

'Very much in love'

"Bobby is the most stand-up person I know. He's also the one whom I go to for relationship advice. He was the one who taught me to treat my girlfriends with respect," he said.

"I know that he was very much in love with Joanne and he still is. When they first broke up, he called me and I was shocked to hear him crying.

"I can tell you that he's such a good and loving person that even though he's suffering now, he just wants Joanne to be happy."

He added that there was no third party in their relationship as he has "been there from the start".

He recounted how he had thought Tonelli and Peh were a great match when they got together after co-starring in Channel 8 blockbuster drama The Little Nyonya in 2008.

Chen, who is back in Singapore on a visit from Taiwan where he is based, said they clicked and, as a friend of Peh, he saw her blossom into "a kind person with a good heart".

He felt that Tonelli made her want to be a better person, apart from introducing her to the world of Western literature and movies. So where did it all go wrong?

Chen said when he returned to Singapore a few months ago, he met up with Tonelli.

"I was shocked, I have never seen Bobby this emotional and we talked for hours.

"He turned to me and said that at 37, he was a failure because he still wasn't married with kids," Chen said.

"He said that the reason for the break-up was communication breakdown. It's heartbreaking seeing him go through something as tough as this. My wish is for him to get through this in one piece."

Chen said he reassured Tonelli that break-ups are all a part of life and things would get better with time.

"I think it takes 10 to 20 years to really get to know someone," he said.

"Bobby didn't give up when Joanne tried to break it off with him and he tried everything to keep the relationship going.

"He definitely had plans for the future. He wanted to marry her as he thought that she was The One. This came as a huge shock to him."

In January, around the time of their break-up, they even did a television commercial together for a condominium.

Before that, they appeared in game shows together - for a celebrity charity episode of Million Dollar Money Drop in 2011 and Sasuke Singapore last year.

A month ago, Peh, 28, revealed their split-up in an interview with local magazine 8 Days.

The local actress said they had grown apart and it had slowly dawned on her that she "does not know him".

"I don't know what he's thinking," she said. "I don't think he knows what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling, what I'm going through either."Explaining her decision to come clean about their relationship, Peh, who went through "a period of grieving, crying and struggling", said she was "tired of pretending everything is okay when it isn't".

She also said the break-up was not because she was "more successful than he is" - just that he was not "the right guy".

Then just three weeks after news of their spilt broke, 8 Days reported that she is now dating Singapore-based Chinese actor Qi Yuwu.

Qi, 36, said when he realised Peh had broken up with Tonelli, he felt "maybe it was possible"."I told her how I felt about her, quite directly," he said.Qi said they "confirmed the relationship" and were comfortable about going public with it.

Rumours were rife that Peh had decided to "return to her Asian roots".

On Tonelli being stereotyped as a Caucasian who embraces only liberal Western values, Chen laughed.

He said Tonelli may look every bit an American of Italian descent, but he was even more "Asian" in terms of values than him. 'Goody-two-shoes'

Said Chen: "Bobby really knows how to take care of women and treat them right. Cheating is something I can guarantee you that he'll never do.

"Let's just say that underneath his exterior, he's a goody-two-shoes Chinese uncle. He's so respectful of our culture and has tried so hard to learn Mandarin.

"Ask anyone who has worked with him and they'll tell you that he's one of the nicest people they have ever met."

In fact, Chen said, the reason Tonelli had been working so hard was so that he could be "the man that Joanne wants him to be".

His good friend is in the healing process and isn't ready for a new relationship, he added. But when he is, Tonelli's new girl will be one lucky lady.

"In these past four years, the only girl that I've ever heard him talk about is Joanne. He has never mentioned or looked at another woman," he said.

"Till now, he still talks about the good times they had, how she's such a great girl and wants to remember only the positive memories.

"Bobby has taken this long to break his silence because he's always first and foremost about protecting everyone. I hope people can see him for who he is and give him the blessing to move on, he deserves that."

Get The New Paper for more stories.