The famous may love all the attention on them when they get on stage, but when it comes to their personal relationships, they would rather “keep it on the down low.” Long-term celebrity couples, Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil, Drew Arellano and Iya Villana, Christopher Roxas and Gladys Reyes, let us in on their secret to a lasting relationship without jeopardizing careers.
Nikki and Billy
Three years in a relationship and going stronger, Billy and Nikki have been regarded as one of the strongest yet most hushed Kapamilya couples of their generation. Aside from their rhyming names, the singing couple’s love for music may also be one among the many factors why they are undeniably perfect for each other.
Having met in the set of ABS-CBN’s reality talent search Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA) Season 2 in 2008, Billy told Kris Aquino on the latter’s talk show, Kris TV, a few weeks ago, that he started asking Nikki out for coffee, followed by lunch and dinner dates and things took off from there.
Although their courtship was far from traditional, the couple were proud to say that sharing the same values and love for their families were some of the things that have kept them bound together. As Christians who grew up both very family-oriented, Billy and Nikki have agreed to abstain from premarital sex. In fact, Nikki also revealed that back in 2008; her mother gave her a chastity ring which she wears until now. Nikki said many people don’t believe her vow.
Despite the skepticism about the couple’s decision of abstinence, Nikki made it clear that it was also her personal decision to save “that special moment” for her and her husband when they get married. Meanwhile, Billy was also firm in saying that waiting until Nikki is ready is one way of him showing his love, care, and respect for girlfriend and her family. Thus saying, “if this is the one thing that she is asking for, the one, I will give.”
Billy said that he and Nikki were ready to face whatever intrigues were thrown at them. He said that their love, trust, loyalty, and open communication with each other are far more important things to focus on than intrigues.
“This is showbiz. We have to face the fact na nandito kami. And that’s why we wanted to keep certain parts of our relationship private because of situations like that.”
Billy told Kris that he doesn’t want to rush Nikki into getting married soon even if he is in the marrying age (he is 29 years old). He said he wants her girlfriend, who is now 24, to fulfill her dreams first and “give her the chance to grow” because “she’s talented and she’s still young.”
Drew and Iya
Iya and Drew’s romance started in the set of the defunct GMA teenage drama called Click in 2003. It was also through that show that Iya and Drew’s on-screen chemistry had evolved into something real.
Like Nikki, Iya is thankful to her boyfriend Drew who had supported her in their seven years of being together. In an interview, the 25-year-old actress shared that she and Drew got together when she was still 18 years old. That said, Iya had no regrets spending her whole young adult years with Drew because he lets her be herself all the time.
“Kaya lalo ko siya minahal kasi during those [young] adult years hinayaan pa rin niya ako i-discover yung sarili ko, so he still allowed me to become my own person. Hindi niya ako kino-control and that really meant so much to me. It means so much to me talaga,” she said.
Considering that Drew and Iya have been together for a very long time, it is still surprising to know that they have manage to keep their relationship free from intrigues after all these years.
While most celebrity couples are just in a relationship for the sake of publicity, it’s the other way around for Iya and Drew. Iya said that she and Drew are both thankful that they are “not controversial.” She also liked the fact that she and her boyfriend don’t get “tsismis” with other people in the industry because it meant that they are both professional people and good partners as well.
Meanwhile, the issue on when they are planning to tie the knot has always been a persistent talk among the press.
When asked about this, Drew said last year that, “It (marriage) was supposed to be sooner but I think there will be better opportunities for us if we don’t get married (yet). But Iya is the only one.”
Christopher and Gladys
They debunked the myth that married showbiz couples aren’t made to last.
From their stint in the phenomenal television drama series, Mara Clara in the 1990’s, Gladys and Christopher have come a long way as a couple for more than a decade.
Now raising three wonderful kids together, Christopher and Gladys have gone out for 12 years as boyfriend and girlfriend and have been married for seven years now. Christopher was Gladys’ first and last boyfriend before they got married in 2004.
The couple never fails to amaze people every time they share their love story during interviews. To prove her love for Gladys, Christopher shared that he willingly converted into Iglesia ni Kristo, Gladys’ religion, to be with her. He said that it was his own decision and was not forced to convert.
Among the most frequently asked questions, of course, was how do they keep their relationship last?
In an interview in 2009, Christopher shared that Gladys had been a great part in the longevity of their relationship. When it comes to those inevitable arguments, he said it was Gladys who handled their relationship well.
Answering the question if work gets to be the reason for their arguments, Gladys was quick to say that work has never been an issue with her and her husband because Christopher understands that acting has always been Gladys’ passion.
Christopher also shared that patience and the fact that he is not much drawn to showbiz than his wife are some of the things that kept their marriage strong.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(OCIE Sept 23-29, 2011 RedCarpet pg.2)
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