When Kris Aquino announced her separation with James Yap more than a month ago, she refused to cite the reasons for her decision, saying she owes the explanation only to her children, especially their son, Baby James.

But there she was on “The Buzz” on Aug.1, opening up the book of her broken marriage.

“Naubos ‘yung kagustuhan ko to make it work. I was miserable. And I’m sure, eto, I’ll address this to James, ‘Wag kang mahiyang aminin na pati ikaw miserable,’” she said.

Unlike her very emotional confession about having given up on her marriage (also on “The Buzz” last June 27), Kris looked calm and collected during her latest interview. She even chuckled sometimes when she quoted the lines of the song “It Must’ve Been Love” while relating the trials that beset her marriage to the basketball star.

“The love was dying for a very long time,” the TV host-actress admitted. “Magpakatotoo na tayong dalawa. Ang tagal-tagal na nating hindi maligaya sa piling ng isa’t-isa. Ang tagal na nating co-existing in one house but having no communication. Matagal na kung nag-uusap man tayo, nagsisigawan lang tayo...”

She said she grew tired “pretending everything was okay,” particularly during the campaign for her brother, the now-president Noynoy Aquino. “Mahirap ‘yun kasi yung mga kapatid ko were really trying to help us save it [the marriage]. At mahirap dahil three years old lang ang anak ko,” she added.

For three and a half years, Kris said she tried to work their relationship out. But then, she boldly declared, “We stopped loving each other a long time ago.”

About three years ago, James got embroiled in a controversy in which he was alleged to have had an affair with Hope Centeno, a receptionist of the Belo Medical Clinic, which Kris was endorsing at the time.

While she admitted that at one point James wasn’t faithful to her (“Obvious ba, hindi!”), she said that the issue with Hope never got resolved.

“Of course to all of you I said yes [it was resolved], ‘di ba siyempre kahihiyan ko ‘yun, parang pinamukha sa’kin na you’re not good enough dahil kailangan ko maghanap sa iba. So in my mind and to present to everybody siyempre gagawin ko na, pipilitin ko na wala na ‘yun, napatawad ko na… nakalimutan ko na, pinaniniwalaan ko siya.

“But the truth is, any woman who’s in a relationship whether boyfriend, girlfriend, whether kinasal kayo… once may infidelity, ang hirap lagpasan nun. It goes both ways eh. Kasi magtatrabaho ako, magkaka-leading man, ibabato sakin na, ‘O ‘yan, makikipaghalikan ka diyan para mabawian ako.’ Alam mo ‘yung ganun [na] parang he’s expecting the other shoe to drop,” she related.

While she had been “crazy loyal” to James, Kris allowed that perhaps her strong personality triggered him to look for someone else.

“Naintindihan ko na rin ngayon kasi before I used to question na bakit kinailangang mambabae. Ngayon nari-realize ko kasi nga siguro minsan kailangan mo maramdaman na ikaw ang hari and I understand and I’ve moved on,” she said.

But then she specifically noted April 26 of this year, when something that James told Bimby became “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“May nasabi siya [dahil] sa galit namin sa isa’t-isa siguro nung panahon na ‘yun, na nasaktan talaga ako at ‘yun ang nagpatunay sa’kin na this is not the man for me and this is not the man I want to stay with because dinadamay na niya ang three years old na bata na dapat protektahan naming dalawa,” she said.

What James told Bimby then is something Kris said she “will forever just keep between the two of us.”

“Dyusko naman ‘yung babae (Hope) pinatawad ko pero eto talaga hindi ko kinaya!” she exclaimed.

Kris also acknowledged that they had a lot of differences, which she said she failed to take into consideration because she was in love. “So now na pinagdaanan na namin lahat ‘yun, get ko na,” she quipped.

James had previously released a statement saying that he will do everything to save their marriage. One of his motivations, James said, was his promise to Kris’ mother, the late President Cory Aquino, that they will never head to Splitsville.

Kris did not seem to appreciate this.

“Mom was so good to you. ‘Wag mo na idamay ang Mom. Nakikiusap ako, kasi nananahimik na ang Mom sa langit and if you also love Mom, don’t bring her into this,” said Kris.

She added that she tried her best to not talk further publicly about what could well be the hardest blow on her marriage but then she felt she had to because “ang hirap naman na magmukha akong wicked witch, na merong lalaking sabi nang sabing gusto niyang makabuo ng pamilya tapos eto ako, nagmamatigas na ayaw ko na.”

Kris stated: “Alam din ni James kung ano ‘yung mga kasalanan nya, in the same way na alam ko ‘yung mga naging kasalanan ko. Pero siguro I gave it my best. And I have no bitterness in my heart. Walang halong kaplastikan ‘yan, hindi ko sinasabi ‘yan para maging mabango ang tingin ng tao sa’kin.”

If it weren’t for the Cebu incident—wherein Kris failed to show up in a school distribution event with Boy because she and James had a fight—“lahat kayo until now walang alam,” she said, pertaining to how much she had kept their problems out of the spotlight (and the headlines).

“I did it for [my siblings] and they know that,” she added.

Her siblings understand her decision and are standing by her, and Kris confessed that what they fear about is that public opinion might take its toll on her sons.

“Public opinion of me would determine how comfortable my sons would be. It’s a fact… I don’t work in a private industry. Kung anong tingin nila sakin will be equated sa anong kikitain ko. At ako ang magpapalaki sa dalawa, responsibilidad ko ‘yun lalo na si Josh… Siyempre kung hindi magustuhan ng mga tao ang desisyon ko at hindi na ‘ko panoorin or hindi tangkilikin ang mga ine-endorse ko, what happens to us?” she related.

As for the legal aspect of her marriage, Kris said she is yet to see the documents prepared by her lawyers. In previous interviews, her counsels from the Marcos Ochoa Serapio and Tan law firm said that Kris’ marriage with Yap is more than likely null and void from the very beginning.

The Queen of All Media deemed that this issue of technicality is a “gift of fate.”

“Probably because the premise kung paano siya nagsimula na hindi ko inamin sa pamilya ko right away, part of destiny ‘yan. Kasi siguro kung kumpyansa ako na it will really be okay and all, hindi na tayo nagtago sa bahay mo,” said Kris, who secretly tied the knot with James on July 10, 2005 at Boy’s abode.

Before Kris left for the United States with her sons Joshua and Bimby last month, she revealed that she and James had a talk, something that she wishes the latter would admit.

“Kaya nga hindi ako humarap sa kahit sinong camera, pinagbigyan ko siya. Dalawang oras kaming nag-usap sa bahay. For me that’s my closure,” she said.

In spite of the rough road they’ve walked on, Kris believes that they were able to make each other better persons. “And he gave me Baby James,” she said with a smile.

“Kung anuman, bali-baliktarin natin, balikan natin, kung isusuma-total natin lahat ng iniyak ko, lahat ng iniyak niya, lahat ng pinag-awayan namin…. Ang suma-total niyan is nagkaroon kami ng Bimby at burado na lahat ng sama ng loob dahil kay Bimby.”

The 39-year old prized Kapamilya talent has no qualms about James dating again, saying, “It’s his right, and it will make much easier for the entire country to move on.” She is also aware that 28-year old James was romantically linked recently with TV host and radio jock Grace Lee.

For her part, Kris related that her elder sister, Pinky Aquino-Abellada, requested her not to go on dates while PNoy is still in post.

“Bigyan mo naman si Noy ng chance to succeed without stress from you,” Kris quoted Pinky.

Will she heed the request?

“I’ll try,” she said, bursting into laughter.

Just last July 30 on “Showbiz News Ngayon,” Kris admitted that out of all the boys and men being linked to her, she’s closest with Makati mayor Junjun Binay. However, she intimated that she is not keen on entering a new relationship anytime soon.

In an interview on “TV Patrol” later, aired after Kris’ explosive tell-all on “Buzz,” Junjun’s father, Vice-president Jejomar Binay, commented on Kris’ confessions about his son.

“May mga sapat na edad na ‘yan, tingnan na lang natin, ipaubaya na lang natin sa kanila ‘yun,” was all he said.