Freida Pinto Insists She Is Still "Best Friends" With Her Ex-Boyfriend Dev Patel: "That's Never Going to Change"

"We're facing it," she says of remaining on good terms with her Slumdog Millionaire co-star

Finally, Freida Pinto is speaking publicly about her recent breakup.

In December 2014, she and Dev Patel ended their six-year relationship, though neither of their reps commented on the breakup at the time. In fact, it wasn't until Patel began promoting his movie Chappie in February that the split was confirmed. "We are incredibly close," he told The Guardian. "She's just a really generous, patient human being who has been one of the most impactful people on my life. A lot of my motivation has come from her, from being with her and knowing her." Out of respect for their relationship, he declined to discuss the specifics of their breakup. "I'm sorry," Patel said. "I can't say."

Patel, 24, told E! News in March that his ex-girlfriend is a "wonderful human."

Pinto broke her silence about the breakup this week in a USA Today interview.

"Everybody has their own little discoveries to make. Their own surprises, their own disappointments, and they're all part and parcel of life. There is no way one person can sit down and go, 'But why did this happen to me?' Or, 'It was all going well, what the hell happened?' Or, 'No, this just can't be,' the denial of it," said Pinto, who is promoting her new movie Desert Dancer, which opens in select theaters Friday. "Running away from it is not going to help you find your answers. So we're facing it. And we're dealing."

"Dev and I are best friends," Pinto, 30, added. "That's never going to change."

The actors began dating after meeting on the set of 2008's Slumdog Millionaire. The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and it put the co-stars' careers on the map.

Pinto has since relocated to L.A. from London, calling the city "a great place to be."

"You can stamp on it what you want to make of this place," the actress explains.