"And they lived happily ever after" may not be written just for fairy tales, as these women, who all happened to be new moms, attest with their own love stories.
Angelica Panganiban
Having started her acting career at six years old, Angelica Panganiban, now 36, practically grew up in the spotlight. That means having a life that's constantly watched by the public, including her romantic relationships. She's had much talked about affairs with her former teen love team partner Carlo Aquino, then with athlete-actor Derek Ramsay, and matinee idol John Lloyd Cruz.
Angelica admitted in her fellow actress and good friend Meryll Soriano's vlog (read here) that every time she'd get into a relationship, she'd wonder: "Ito kaya ang makakasama ko na magkaroon ng pamilya?" That's why she'd get doubly hurt when the relationship would end.
All of Angelica's doubts disappeared when Angelica's current partner Gregg Homan came along. Gregg is part of the management team of Bay Marine Subic, a company that designs, constructs, sells, and rents out aluminum boats and water crafts. He's based in Subic, Zambales.
The couple recalled how they met and got together in the first video on their "The Homans" YouTube channel. For starters, they were supposed to meet in December 2018. But they only got to see each other sometime in 2020, when she was taping on location in Subic with Cherry Pie Picache and other stars. Cherry Pie is their common friend who'd been urging them to meet up.
Angelica admitted, "No’ng una, ayoko talaga. Kasi hindi naman jaded, pero parang tamad na tamad na ’ko sa mga dating-dating na ganyan. Hindi na ako interesado. Masaya naman akong single."
But as fate would have it, Angelica went on seeing Gregg. They had a great time together, and eventually, they became a couple on July 11, 2020. By Christmas that year, they were already discussing about starting a family.
In January 2022, Angelica was having pregnancy symptoms but still couldn't believe until she and Gregg got the confirmation from their doctor (read here). Their baby girl arrived on September 20, and they named her Amila Sabine, nicknamed Bean. Less than a month later, the first-time parents announced their engagement.
As Angelica would sum up her life today: "Found peace @36."
Jennylyn Mercado
At 16, Jennylyn Mercado won the first season of GMA-7's talent search, StarStruck, along with Mark Herras, who eventually became her boyfriend for a few years. As she soared high with her career's upward trajectory, she met and fell in love with another actor, Patrick Garcia.
Jennylyn and Patrick had a tumultous relationship that they parted ways even before their son, Alex Jazz, was born in August 2008. Jennylyn soon picked up from she left off in showbiz. While working on the 2010 teleserye Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak, she became close to her leading man, Dennis Trillo. They soon became an item, but after 11 months, they broke up.
In late 2011, Jennylyn started dating TV host Luis Manzano, who shared her passion for sports like jujitsu and scuba diving. They broke up two years into their relationship, and made her wary about falling in love with again.
Good thing, Jennylyn's ex, Dennis, made the first move in rekindling their friendship, and eventually their romance. That second chance at love proved to be for keeps. They didn't only click as a couple, traveling around the world and putting up businesses together, but also as parents to their respective kids: Jennylyn's son Alex Jazz and Dennis's son (with ex-girlfriend Carlene Aguilar) Calix.
Jennylyn and Dennis got engaged on October 8, 2021, and just over a month later, they tied the knot in civil rites. They welcomed their first child together on April 25, 2022, and they've named her Dylan Jade (read here), completing their happily blended family. And that's why, Jennylyn, now 35, is a picture of bliss these days.
Jessy Mendiola
In her nearly 18 years in showbiz, Jessy Mendiola, now 30, has been romantically linked to a few of her fellow ABS-CBN stars, like Matteo Guidicelli, Jake Cuenca, and Sam Milby. But she's only vocal about her on-and-off relationship with another colleague, JM de Guzman, that ran for more than two years and officially ended in November 2015.
Jessy's next public relationship, this time with Luis Manzano, proved to be "it," notwithstanding the 10-year gap. It wasn't love at first sight, though, as the couple said in an interview. She soon realized that he's "the type of guy that I could talk to about anything and everything under the sun" and "everything just fell into place after that.”
Thus after four years of dating, Jessy and Luis wed in civil rites, secretly at first, on February 21, 2021. A year and two months later, they announced having their first child together (read here). Isabella Rose, nicknamed Rosie and Peanut, arrived on December 28, 2022. (Read Jessy's birthing story here.)
Bettinna Carlos
Bettinna Carlos was 23, just fresh out of college, and had a promising showbiz career when she got pregnant unexpectedly with a man, she later said in an interview with Smart Parenting, "who was not my boyfriend at that time."
They got together as a couple, but didn't get married. Thus their daughter Amanda Lucia, nicknamed Gummy, carried her mother's, and not her father's, surname. So her middle name was N/A, or not applicable. After struggling with their relationship, the young couple eventually parted ways.
Over the years, Bettinna raised Gummy as a solo parent until she met businessman Mikki Eduardo, who treated her daughter like his own (read here). When Mikki proposed marriage to Bettinna, in fact, he also "proposed" to Gummy (read here).
The couple tied the knot on December 2, 2020 (read here), and they eventually settled down, with Gummy, in La Union, where Mikki had put up his businesses.
Fast-forward to 2022: Bettinna opened the year with a miscarriage but ended it with a new baby, Amina, and Gummy is now legally and officially an Eduardo (read here).
Melissa Ricks
Since joining showbiz in 2004, at age 14, via the first season of ABS-CBN's talent search, Star Circle Quest, Melissa Ricks, now 33, had been romantically linked to her colleagues Matt Evans, Jake Cuenca, and Paul Jake Castillo.
But Melissa fell for a former schoolmate and chef named Charles Togezaki. They had their daughter Kiera Kelly in January 2015, but eventually went on their separate ways. She admitted struggling being a solo parent (read here), but she soon embraced her new role with much love and joy.
In 2019, Melissa proudly introduced her new boyfriend, Michael Macatangay, who's not from showbiz. They tied the knot on May 24, 2021 (read here). Three weeks prior, she shared a photo of them that was shot on the day they got engaged. She narrated in the caption that their wedding song, "I Prayed For You," was written by her good friend Pat San Juan after getting inspired by their love story.
Melissa said about the song and its inspiration: "It brought tears to my eyes because our love story couldn’t have been written any better than the words he has put beautifully into this song."
She went on saying, "During the lowest part of my life, I met Michael. I sailed over oceans, over seas, climbing mountains just trying to find this certain peace. I was broken. But my faith brought me to where he was.
"When I gave up and surrendered all to God, He gave me the desires of my heart in the most unexpected circumstances. I lost battles, but I won hope. In my heartache, I found home.
"Now this journey has begun with your hand holding mine, I know this is true because 'I Prayed For You.'"
Just last January 13, 2023, Melissa gave birth to her and Michael's first child together, Mikaela, making her panganay Kiera an ate.
Read here for tips on how to improve your relationship with your spouse.
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