Peruvian writer and television host Jaime Bayly revealed that he once tried to pursue a romantic connection with Carlos Espá, Peru's current foreign minister and a former presidential candidate, but explained why the approach never went anywhere.
Bayly made the confession while presenting his newest book, Los Golpistas, at the Feria del Libro. He told the audience that he has lost several friendships over the years by trying to turn them into romantic or intimate relationships, something he attributed to his personality and his instincts as a writer.
The former host of El Francotirador said he currently has no close friends, explaining that many of his personal relationships ended because of choices driven by his character and the way he processes emotion.
He said that at the end of the day he has no friends, because he is willing to lose them all to follow his hunch or his writer's instinct, which he said may be a very self-destructive instinct, though he was not certain.
Bayly added that he had tried on several occasions to take some friendships to a more intimate level. Among the names he mentioned were writer Álvaro Vargas Llosa and Carlos Espá.
He said the same thing happened with Espá, who was a presidential candidate, explaining that he tried many times but that Espá is a reserved, heterosexual man, not inclined toward what Bayly called low passions.
Who is Carlos Espá
Espá previously ran for the presidency of Peru before being appointed the country's foreign minister. Bayly, 61, is a longtime figure in Peruvian media, known for his television talk shows and his prolific output as a novelist and columnist.
Jaime Bayly remembers Diego Bertie
Beyond the confessions about his personal life, Bayly also spoke about Diego Bertie in statements given to the programme Amor y Fuego. The 61-year-old journalist said the death of the Peruvian actor and singer remains one of the most painful losses he has faced.
He said the memory of Diego is a very deep wound for him, and that he will never recover from that tragedy. He said Bertie was too young and too talented to die that way, so prematurely, and that he is always thinking about him.
