This was the surreal separation of Julio Iglesias and Isabel Preysler

• Darts The silent enemies (until now) by Isabel Preysler

• It was Carlos Falcó "When I see another man at home": Julio Iglesias Jr. tells how he realized that his parents, Isabel Preysler and Julio Iglesias, had separated

• Controversial Posthumous interview with Laura Boyer: "Isabel Preysler is a hyper-possessive person, she drove my father away. She is cold and calculating"

The elegant statement by Julio Iglesias in

, on the occasion of the recent breakup between Isabel and Mario Vargas Llosa, forces me to remember what it was like to part with my friend and godfather and also a friend Isabel.

Sometimes, life provides curious telepathic coincidences, which occur even when the protagonists are separated by thousands of kilometers.

What I am going to tell you

, but it happened.

As it is.

I heard a female voice

with her love, who was none other, as I heard on the recording, than the Marquis de Griñón

One of the settings was Buenos Aires, specifically a restaurant.

The diners, Julio and the late and endearing Alfredo Fraile.

At lunch, Julio, who remained serious, worried, as if absent, addressed his manager with these words: "Alfredo, you have to promise me that if one day I separate from Isabel, you will never let me marry again." .

Almost at the same time, in another setting, located thousands of kilometers away, in Madrid, the fuse was lit that would explode that barrel of gunpowder on which the last chapter of Julio and Isabel's married life would take place.

Julio Iglesias and Isabel Preysler, at their wedding

It was the spring of 1978. I had just arrived at my office at

, of which I was editor-in-chief.

I started the answering machine in which, among many other messages from voices that identified themselves, I heard a female, anonymous herself, who informed me of Isabel's infidelity with her love, who was none other, as I heard on the

, than the Marquis de Griñón.

At that time, he had a very good relationship with Isabel.

So I phoned her to warn her that someone wanted her badly and wanted to hurt her.

Thirty minutes had not elapsed when she appeared in my office, accompanied by her close friend of hers at the time, the Duchess of Cádiz, Carmen Martínez-Bordiú.

Together they listened to the tape over and over again.

They were not so interested in what was revealed there -they both knew it very well!- but

, that anonymous and telltale female voice.

I had always seen Isabel so dignified, so ladylike, so controlled and, above all, so sure, I was impressed to see her so distraught, disengaged, scared and full of fear, from the very fear that she felt and could not hide.

She was brave enough to ask me for the tape.

With it in her bag, the two "cheating" wives left.

Possibly because fear itself gave her courage, the truth is that, after an hour, Isabel was again before me, in

's office .

This time... by herself.

He talked and talked.

I, she listened, but, above all, I thought about what she saw:

because her infidelity had come out through that anonymous and, moreover, feminine voice.

To know more

Surprise.

Julio Iglesias breaks his silence to defend Isabel Preysler: "I know this is not like me, but I want to do it for my ex-wife"

• Drafting: GTRES

Julio Iglesias breaks his silence to defend Isabel Preysler: "I know this is not like me, but I want to do it for my ex-wife"

I knew that Julio was returning that night from Buenos Aires and I felt sorry for both of them, especially for Julio.

The meeting was not going to be exactly happy.

It all depended on whether Isabel got over the panic that had seized her.

And

, as Shakespeare would say.

But I never thought for a moment that what happened was going to happen.

And it is that, from my office, Isabel, aware of having to act quickly, anticipating the possible scandal of her story with the Marquis de Griñón, went to Antonio Guerrero Burgos, an illustrious lawyer.

He himself would admit it on July 22, 1978: "I am not Mrs. Iglesias' lawyer. She has come to me only to consult and receive advice."

HELLO AND GOODBYE

As I supposed, the encounter was

but much worse.

Alfredo says that when he got off the plane and met Isabel at the airport, he was scared.

Elizabeth, is something wrong?

- No, Alfredo, but I urgently want to speak alone with Julio.

Isabel had decided not to wait a moment longer for Julio's arrival to propose the separation.

since the conversation in my office, after listening to the incriminating tape on the answering machine.

He wanted to act fast.

Alfredo did not know what Isabel told Julio alone in the Madrid Barajas airport lounge.

("I saw them talking without gesturing or raising their tone without fuss").

After such a quick chat, Isabel turned around and left the room, while Julio approached Alfredo to say: "Do me a favor: pick up the luggage and take it home."

Apparently, Isabel's words were: "Julio, you had to ask me many times to get married but I'm going to tell you just once to separate."

And in the middle of the airport baggage hall, Isabel had just ended her marriage.

Hello and goodbye.

The next day, Julio appeared in my office accompanied by Alfredo.

Only twenty hours that must have been the saddest and most dramatic of his life.

The result of that night was a communiqué that Isabel demanded together.

Julio gave it to me that morning.

In ten typewritten lines and a vulgar sheet of paper, seven years of marriage were liquidated.

The statement, joint, about their separation

"Waiting for possible speculation or scandalous news that may originate from our personal situation, we jointly consider ourselves obligated to explain once and for all the determination, to which we have freely arrived, to legally separate. First of all, the Supreme interest in our children forces us to resolve

. The reasons, because they are intimate, remain forever in our conscience".

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Isabella Preysler

• Julio Iglesias