Spanish television personality Belén Esteban has shared a viral poolside photograph from her summer holiday in Tenerife following weeks of intense media attention surrounding a public dispute with Julia Janeiro.
The 52-year-old former contributor to the long-running television show Sálvame posted the image on Instagram on Sunday during a trip to the coastal village of Alcalá. Captioning the photograph as the end of summer 2026, she wrote that the picture was not bad for someone of her age.
Esteban, who originally rose to prominence from the working-class San Blas district of Madrid, has been a staple of Spanish celebrity news for decades. Her national profile expanded through her former relationship with legendary bullfighter Jesulín de Ubrique, with whom she shares a daughter, before she established herself as a leading panelist on daytime entertainment programs.
In her latest social media post, Esteban accompanied the poolside photo with a new song by Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist Olga Tañón. The track features lyrics about remaining true to oneself regardless of public opinion, noting that critics speak out of envy and wish for bad things to happen.
Anticipating that the musical choice might be interpreted as a subtle jab at her rivals, Esteban added a message clarifying that she posted the track simply because she loved it, deliberately avoiding further speculation. The publication quickly attracted comments from prominent media figures, including Argentine-Spanish actress Natalia Verbeke, entertainment journalist Lorena Vázquez, and television personality Anabel Pantoja, the niece of famous singer Isabel Pantoja, who affectionately called Esteban her gordi.
Tenerife retreat amid family controversy
Esteban travelled to the Canary Islands to take a break after becoming embroiled in a bitter media confrontation with Julia Janeiro, the eldest daughter of Jesulín de Ubrique and his wife, dentist María José Campanario. The ongoing feud between Esteban and members of the Janeiro family has generated widespread interest across Spanish entertainment outlets.
The getaway destination of Alcalá is a quiet seaside village located within the municipality of Guía de Isora on the southwestern coast of Tenerife. Tenerife is the largest of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa, and is widely known for its volcanic landscapes, luxury resorts, and oceanfront swimming pools.
While Esteban relaxed in the Canary Islands away from the media spotlight, members of the Janeiro family continued to address the ongoing friction. Over the weekend, journalist and media commentator Beatriz Trapote spoke publicly about the dispute during a high-profile social gathering in southern Spain.
Calls for Julia Janeiro to speak out
Trapote, who is married to Jesulín de Ubrique's younger brother Víctor Janeiro, made her comments during an event in the Andalusian town of Ubrique organized in honor of prominent businessman José Luis López Fernández, known widely as El Turronero. Trapote publicly encouraged her niece Julia to step forward and share her own narrative.
Addressing reporters at the event, Trapote stated that she believed it was time for the young makeup artist to share her truth and release the pain she had been holding inside. She added that it was necessary for the second version of events to be told to the public.
Ubrique, a mountain town in the province of Cádiz, is the ancestral home of the Janeiro bullfighting family. Julia Janeiro, who works as a makeup artist and social media creator, has not yet confirmed whether she will take her family's advice to publicly respond to Esteban.
