Mireia Varela’s open letter broke the silence on her split from Gabriel Rufián after more than a decade together. Their private breakup turned into a public reckoning with loss, regret, and the hard work of starting over.
In early 2020, Mireia Varela posted a raw letter on Instagram. She did not just talk about a breakup. She opened up about the pain of losing Gabriel Rufián, ERC deputy and father of her son. Her words cut deep. The end of their relationship was no longer private. It became a public crisis, played out for all to see.
Varela wrote, “Despedí 2018 llorando sabiendo que perdía el amor de mi vida.” She described sleepless nights, constant sadness, and the feeling that she had lost a part of herself. She spoke of isolation, endless fights, and the struggle to find work. Her letter painted a picture of a woman facing the collapse of her dream family. Many saw themselves in her story. Some wounds do not heal with time.
According to recent independent media reports, Rufián and Varela separated at the end of 2018, but the public only learned of their split after Varela's open letter in early 2020.
Their story started quietly. Before Rufián became known in Madrid, he spotted Varela on the Metro. He handed her a slip of paper with his number. It was a simple act. They built a life together in Catalonia, away from cameras. Their son Biel was born in 2010. For years, they kept their family out of the spotlight, even as Rufián’s political career took off.
By the end of 2018, things fell apart. The breakup stayed private at first. That changed with Varela’s letter. She called 2019 a year of mourning. She could not win back the man she called her soulmate, best friend, and the father she chose for her child. She spoke openly about therapy, medication, and regret. Her honesty struck a nerve. A private struggle became a shared one.
Rufián did not answer her letter in public. He stayed silent. He focused on co-parenting Biel and keeping life steady for his son. On Salvados, he said he still owns half the home where Biel lives with his mother. He made it clear he shares responsibility, even after the marriage ended. Rufián has since remarried. In 2022, he married Marta Pagola, who works in communications at PNV. They now have a son named Leo.
Current reports from independent outlets confirm that Rufián now has two children: Biel from his relationship with Varela, and Leo with his wife Marta Pagola, whom he married in July 2022. This updated family context is important, as it shows that the topic of the previous breakup is not connected to his present marital status.
Varela’s world now centers on Biel, music, and dance. She loves Sevillanas and flamenco. Still, her social media hints at questions that linger. In a recent post, she wrote about regret and how hard it is to accept the results of our choices. Moving on is not easy.
Stories like this are not rare in Spain. Public and private lives often collide. In a reported case about a Catalan teacher, the line between personal life and public attention proved lasting. For Varela and Rufián, the fallout has been handled quietly. But the pain is clear.
This story shows the price of public life for those who never wanted fame. Varela’s honesty forced people to talk about loss and regret. Rufián’s silence and focus on his son show another kind of strength. In the end, their real battles happened away from the cameras. The hardest fights are often private.
