Before she leaves, she has to advance taping some episodes for her two shows, “Celebrity Bluff” aired on Saturday evenings, and “Dear Uge”, aired on Sunday afternoons, which makes her TV’s Weekend Queen. “I will be back on August 7 and I’m thankful to GMA for being understanding and accommodating me sa request kong mag-advance kami ng taping para sa pagbabakasyon ko.”
She flies to Milan then goes to Parma, where Danilo is based. Has she met his family? “Yes, all his relatives, konti lang naman. We all get along fine.”
How did they meet? “I went to Italy for the screening of my movie, ‘Barber’s Tales’ sa Udine Filmfest. He’s a film critic at napanood na niya ang ibang movies ko like ‘Babae sa Septic Tank’, ‘Kimmy Dora’ and ‘Do Bi Doo Bi Doo’. So kilala na niya ako. I didn’t know sinulat na niya pala when he learned I was going there, ‘She will change our lives’. When he saw me, I wasn’t at my best kasi jet lagged ako sa biyahe, ang kapal ng eyebags ko, di ako nakaayos. He told me friends daw kami sa Facebook, which is not true naman. He asked me to have pizza with him, sabi ko, why? So we can talk daw. Sabi ko, mag-attend na lang siya ng official presscon ng movie namin. After that, nagcha-chat na kami online. We met again one year later in Orvieto, also in Italy. I took a side trip from London. Masaya kami. We enjoyed our time together. So yun na. May girlfriend siya at that time, pero nanalo ang Filipina. Hindi na naman kami mga teenager. Wala na kaming struggles sa buhay. Even my friends are so happy, like Direk Chris Martinez and Andoy Ranay, who even cried out of happiness for me.”
What are Danilo’s endearing qualities for her? “We love to talk. We’re both crazy and adventurous. Kapag nandun ako, we go to other cities, like Verona, to visit a castle. We also love to sing. And we love to kiss! Kahit hindi kami magkasama physically, he’s there and I’m here, I can still feel the connection. Feeling ko, he’s really my soulmate.”
If she’s made to choose, Danilo or her career here, which one would she choose? “Him. But now, napagsasabay ko pa naman so wag nyo na akong papiliin. Sayang naman ang career ko, e nage-enjoy pa naman ako rito.”
How come there was a rumor that “Dear Uge” is bowing out? “Nagulat din kami, but it’s not true. We had our first anniversary noong February and we’re about to start our Season 7. Masaya ko rito kasi it carries my name. Parang shows nina Vilma at Maricel noong araw, di ba? And the goal of the show is pasayahin lang ang audience who are stressed out na buong week sa trabaho, sa traffic. They’re entitled na ma-relax naman at tumawa with ‘Dear Uge’ and also with our game show, ‘Celebrity Bluff’.We owe it to the audience to make them happy.”
