The ongoing drama continues to draw attention surrounding the story of the young leading actor. S Kantapong Bamrungrak. and Christina Winkler, his foreign ex-wife, whose dispute has escalated to a court case regarding custody rights. His daughter, Valentina. Recently, S Kantapong attended the opening of the "A fair Delicious Grade A by A Supachai" market at the promotional area, B floor, Future Park Rangsit. He addressed the issue, explaining the reasons for suing his ex-wife and revealing the shocking fact that his daughter calls him 'uncle' but calls another man 'daddy.'
Asked about the situation?
"I just found out along with everyone else. I mean, I watched the interview clip that she gave. I have to say much of what she said isn't true. For example, the divorce filing—I was the one who was sued for divorce. How long ago? She should know well. It was right after I recovered from illness. Regarding the 100% custody rights, she requested it when filing for divorce. That was my first time ever appearing in court. I kept the truth to myself, and I apologize for not telling anyone because I didn't want it to affect our child."
"The reason I lied to the media and didn't speak openly is because I felt that even if I told the truth, what benefit would it bring me, and what about the child? Today, I honestly don't know what to say. You can review her interview and see that when asked why we divorced, I still don’t know. She mentioned a third party being involved; you might want to ask her about that. If she means a third party within the family, my family never interfered with our family life, only stepping in when I was hospitalized because no one else could care for me except my mother, brother, father, sister, and relatives."
"You can ask her why she didn't come to visit. I prefer not to comment further. She knows well that she said she wasn't ready to take care of me when I was sick. There are many other points, but I won’t discuss them. Like I said, I don’t understand what she gains from that interview. I’m really confused."
"I couldn’t bear to watch all of what she said. I only saw a little, just enough to catch that she was trying to protect her own rights. I’m still unsure what rights she was protecting. On the other hand, she said I was going to sue for custody rights. Let me emphasize again: that’s not true. She was the one who sued for 100% custody. It’s true that I filed a countersuit, but that was nearly one or two years later. The reason I sued back is because I realized after nearly three years, truly about two years ago, that my daughter kept calling me 'uncle' but called someone else 'dad.'"
"I tried to excuse the child until one day I was dropping her off, and she said in front of that man, 'Isn’t daddy coming today? Today uncle S is bringing me.' I knew but pretended to ask if the child said it wrong. Then I saw it with my own eyes around the end of last year and realized the child was not lying. In the previous interview when asked where the child was and with whom, I said I didn’t know the child’s home address, and I still don’t."
How did you feel when your daughter called you 'uncle'?
"I was speechless because she called me 'uncle' for about three to four days. Then she stopped calling me that when the other side saw that she said it in front of him. The next day, she started calling him 'dad' again. I don’t know what they talked about. I still remember at the mall when I was dropping her off, she called me 'uncle' in front of him and asked, 'Isn't daddy coming?'"
Before this incident, did your daughter always call you 'daddy'?
"Yes, and there was never a problem before. As I posted in the clip, she liked playing with me, but since then, her behavior has changed a lot."
Have you often brought your daughter to play at your house before?
"In a day, we have 24 hours; in a month, 30 days. But I get to see my daughter about 20 hours a month. One day, I pick her up at 3 p.m. and drop her off at 6 p.m. After travel time, that leaves about an hour a day. I see her two to three days a week, so about six hours a week, times four weeks, approximately 24 hours monthly. If you ask why this incident happened, you should ask her."
Is the breakdown in the relationship believed to be caused by a third party?
"I don't know, and I prefer not to discuss that. But I want to defend the mother because society misunderstands, saying she interfered. I wonder if the interpreter mistranslated the term 'third party.' My parents did not interfere; they only took care of me when I was in the hospital and transferred money to her regularly. That’s the only way my family got involved."
Were the money transfers stipulated in an agreement that you must provide support?
"That was before the divorce, when I was in the hospital. My relatives were concerned and transferred money regularly."
Is there a contract clause forbidding you from speaking about this?
"Yes, about not speaking—I proposed that myself because I didn’t want our child to see or remember those things. I still don’t understand why she says she’s protecting her rights but forgets to think about the child. Why don’t you consider the child? And whose rights are you really protecting, yours or the child's? I’m not saying Christina is a bad mother; I believe she loves our child as much as I do. Nobody doesn’t love their child, but sometimes you have to think carefully before acting."
When did you see that other man?
"I only saw him at the end of last year. Actually, someone saw him before me but didn’t dare to tell me because I was in the hospital in 2022."
Did he come into your life after your relationship ended?
"(Smiles) I was in the hospital in 2022. You can do the math. I prefer not to say. (Implying he might have known earlier?) I really don't know."
How do you want the lawsuit to end?
"I want to be my daughter’s father again, and for her mother to be her mother as before. That’s what I want—to fulfill my role as a father."
Have you tried talking to her but to no avail, which led to court?
"Oh, I think she said in an interview that I was the one who sued, but that’s not true. I asked to talk to her because she wanted me to sign something. The truth is I’ve been trying to talk to her to understand what happened and see if we can come to an agreement. She wanted me to sign quickly, but I didn’t sign as she wished, so I got a court summons at home. She filed for divorce."
How do you feel now?
"Our daughter shouldn’t have to go through this. She shouldn’t hear the things her mother and father are saying."
How do you think the court case will end?
"I don’t know. My focus is just to see my daughter and have a relationship with her, not just 20 hours a month."
But she says you’re not being obstructed?
"Words and actions might not completely match. (Smiles)"
What about negotiations?
"Recently at court, she didn’t want to negotiate."
What do you want?
"The same as before—I want to see my daughter and for her to know that S Kantapong is her father, not 'uncle.'"
Is negotiation still possible?
"She’s unwilling. If she wanted to negotiate, I’d be very happy. All the money spent on lawyers—how many times have you lost? My father, mother, myself, and everyone else have transferred money to her to keep for the child’s use, not to pay lawyers. I’m still confused about this. I want it to end with a conversation. I’ve been trying to talk to her for about a year, but it’s her right. What made the talks fail? I really don’t know. (Shakes head)"
Are you saddened that things escalated this far?
"Yes, I’m sad it affected our child."
Is there a chance for shared custody in the future?
"Initially, she sued for 100% custody, not shared. But in the second round, when I filed a countersuit, yes, I did, to serve as a reminder to try and talk."
Can you specify the type of lawsuit?
"She sued for 100% custody; I opposed it. In the end, it didn’t go as she wanted, so we agreed to scheduled visits, but it didn’t follow the agreement."
When is the next court hearing?
"Hopefully none. Do I want mediation? Yes, definitely."
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