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Imagine going through the hardest, most painful year of your life — losing someone you love very much and going through a very public breakup. Now imagine deciding that, instead of giving up, you’re going to pick yourself up, spend time with the people who matter most, and start fresh.
That’s exactly what Joaquín Torres, a famous Spanish architect, is doing this summer.
After a year marked by the pain of losing his mother and his widely talked-about separation from Raúl Prieto, Joaquín has found his safest harbor: his two sons, Manuel and Álvaro.
He recently shared some heartwarming and personal photos from the deck of a boat. In the pictures, he looks relaxed, barefoot, and smiling next to his son Álvaro. He captioned the photos with a touching message:
"The best vacation — ‘time with my children.’"
Father and son, dressed in comfortable summer clothes and wearing sunglasses, show a strong and special bond that Joaquín is clearly very proud of.
Joaquín has been open about how close he is to his two boys. In an emotional interview with Telemadrid, he shared:
"Today, my relationship with them is spectacular. They love me and they admire me. It’s wonderful how my children see me."
Manuel and Álvaro are from Joaquín’s previous marriage to Mercedes Rodríguez. Despite everything he’s been through, Joaquín makes it clear that his sons are his top priority and his greatest source of strength.
This sense of peace that Joaquín has found on a boat deck didn’t come easily. It came after a very honest and vulnerable public confession in the pages of ¡HOLA! magazine.
With his heart wide open, Joaquín reflected on how pain is best handled through acceptance:
"I hit rock bottom. The loss of my mother took me to the abyss… In a way, she took me to the abyss, but she also helped me climb out of it."
The biggest lesson he’s learned during this difficult period is powerful and direct:
"You should never beg for love. You must love yourself above all else. When you know you are enough, when you accept yourself, love yourself, and forgive yourself, everything flows in a very different way."
He also shared a deeply personal realization:
"Today I don’t want to please anyone anymore. I only want to please myself."
Looking toward the horizon with optimism and surrounded by the love of his children, Joaquín embraces his newfound freedom:
"I could have stayed trapped in complaining, or I could move forward. I chose to move forward — life is worth living… I don’t want to grow older anymore. I just want to be at peace."
This well-deserved family vacation coincides with some big news that closes an important chapter in the family’s story: the sale of their massive family mansion in Pozuelo de Alarcón, near Madrid.
Here are the key details about this stunning property:
The mansion was the family home until the recent deaths of both of Joaquín’s parents. It represents the family’s rise in society, but it also held complicated and difficult memories.
Joaquín explained to Vanitatis:
"We have decided to put it up for sale, even though this is where my career began."
He spent months sorting out the legal details of the property so it could be sold completely clean and free of any legal burdens.
With maturity, he reflected:
"My father was very happy here. My mother was not."
The sale marks a clear emotional turning point for the family — a definitive closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.
1. Who is Joaquín Torres?
Joaquín Torres is a well-known Spanish architect. He is the son of the late businessman Juan Torres Piñón, who co-founded the ACS construction and infrastructure group alongside Florentino Pérez.
2. Why did Joaquín Torres hit rock bottom?
He went through an extremely difficult year marked by the death of his mother and his separation from Raúl Prieto. He has been very open about how painful this period was and how he had to work through deep grief.
3. Who are Joaquín Torres’s children?
He has two sons named Manuel and Álvaro, from his previous marriage to Mercedes Rodríguez. He has described his relationship with them as "spectacular" and says they are his top priority.
4. Why is the family selling the mansion in Pozuelo de Alarcón?
The mansion holds many memories — both happy and painful. With both parents now passed away, Joaquín decided it was time to close that chapter. The property is being sold for approximately €15 million after months of legal preparation.
5. What is the main life lesson Joaquín Torres wants to share?
His core message is about self-love and acceptance: never beg for love from others, learn to love and forgive yourself, and when you do, everything in life starts to flow differently. He says he no longer wants to please everyone — he just wants to be at peace with himself.