The grandmother of Spanish television star Omar Sánchez has condemned his former wife Anabel Pantoja for marrying him without being in love.
Speaking to the Spanish news agency Europa Press, the grandmother said her grandson was left heartbroken and stopped eating after the couple separated just four months after their wedding ceremony.
Sánchez, a windsurfing instructor from the Canary Islands, married Pantoja, a high-profile influencer and television personality, after promising eternal devotion in front of his gathered family. Sánchez was completely convinced that he had met his life partner and beamed with joy as they exchanged rings, but their marriage collapsed when Pantoja abruptly ended the relationship after realising her feelings did not match his.
Pantoja later admitted publicly that she had walked down the aisle with only 60 percent certainty that she was making the correct choice, acknowledging that severe doubts plagued her mind on the day. The sudden separation left Sánchez devastated, forcing him to accept the unexpected collapse of his marriage and let his partner leave.
Confession on Supervivientes All Stars
The painful breakup resurfaced years later when Sánchez competed on the reality television series Supervivientes All Stars, filmed in the Cayos Cochinos archipelago off the coast of Honduras. During the programme's emotional bridge segment, where contestants are asked to confront their personal past, the surf coach addressed his brief marriage on national television.
Sánchez admitted to viewers that he felt used by his former wife and stated that their entire romance felt like a lie and a farce because she did not love him. He suggested that her decision to marry him under those circumstances reflected poor character, though he clarified that he has since forgiven her and that the two maintain a cordial relationship despite her breaking his heart into pieces.
Watching those television broadcasts prompted his grandmother to speak publicly about the ordeal five years after the wedding. She defended his emotional display on screen, explaining that her grandson is naturally shy and had bottled up his deep personal suffering rather than expressing his pain to those around him.
Family reaction to wedding revelations
The grandmother told Europa Press that she does not condemn Pantoja for falling out of love, which she viewed as something understandable, but for proceeding with the ceremony while knowing her feelings were incomplete. She noted that while one person in a breakup moves on easily, the other suffers intensely, and Sánchez was the one who bore the emotional damage until he lost his appetite and stopped eating.
She stated that her blood ran cold when she learned Pantoja had entered the marriage with only 60 percent certainty. She questioned why Pantoja went through with the vows when no one had forced her to proceed, especially since Sánchez stood at the altar fully committed with complete certainty.
The grandmother reflected that older generations might have worried about maintaining public appearances or what other people would say, but insisted that genuine feelings should always come first. She acknowledged that the entire family endured intense distress because they were unused to having their private grief exposed to relentless public and media scrutiny.
Family affection and lack of resentment
Despite the past heartbreak, the grandmother insisted that the family holds no bitter grudges, rage, or desire for retaliation against the television star. She affirmed that they still hold affection for Pantoja from a distance and respect her right as an independent adult to make her own decisions without owing them explanations.
To shield Sánchez from further anguish during his recovery, the family deliberately avoided mentioning his former wife in his presence, resolving that if her name did arise, they would only speak of her kindly. Nevertheless, his grandmother concluded that Pantoja should have exercised honesty before exchanging rings in front of the cameras, rather than walking away four months later.
