After Bell's Palsy, Angelu de Leon Can't Believe How Her Life Turned Out

Anyone who was a TV buff in the mid-90s would be familiar with actress Angelu de Leon, "Peachy" to Bobby Andrews's "Wacks" in GMA-7's now-defunct coming-of-age series, T.G.I.S. From 1995 to 1999, "Peachy" was the epitome of the ideal girl: dutiful daughter, responsible student, and reliable friend. In real life, Angelu's fate took an interesting turn as she faced one bump on the road after another, quite the opposite of the life her famous character led.

At 19, she got pregnant out of wedlock by actor Joko Diaz. She gave birth to daughter Nicole in 1998. 

Two years later, she again bore a love child, daughter Louise, this time with businessman Jojo Manlongat. 

In 2009, Angelu suffered from Bell's Palsy, a condition with symptoms that are similar to a stroke, which caused half of her face to be immobile. The condition resurfaced in 2016. (Read more about Bell's Palsy here.)

She recently told Pep.ph, "Nag-Prednisone ako for a while," to treat the illness. "After ko siyang tinigil, nagkaroon ako ng withdrawal. So, nagkaroon ako ng hormonal imbalance. Ang lala ng nangyari sa akin noon.”

In 2010, things started to look up for Angelu. She married Lorenzo "Wowie" Rivera in an intimate ceremony in September, and gave birth to their son Rafa in 2012. 

These days, the five of them —she, Wowie, Nicole, Louise, and Rafa — are the picture of a happy family.

In an interview with Pep.ph, Angelu said that she and Wowie have been discussing the possibility of the latter adopting her daughters legally. Having been born when Angelu was still unmarried, the two girls use the surname 'De Leon.' If Wowie were to adopt them, they would then be able to use 'Rivera.'

“We’re weighing things, of course we want to. Pero may ibang factors na kailangan pang intindihin,” she explained, citing her husband's background as the primary reason, without going into detail.

"Kaya kapag pumipirma ako ng any other document, I still put 'De Leon-Rivera.' I don’t want them (referring to Nicole and Louise) to feel that I’m a Rivera [only]," she added.

Angelu, who is a part-owner of the restaurant Spice & Cleaver in Pasig and recently bagged an endorsement deal with slimming center Marie France, has so much to be thankful for. 

"Lord, after magka-Bell’s Palsy ako, saka pa ako nagka-billboard."

"Sabi ko nga, I cannot take the credit. All Glory to God."