SUNSHINE and another cousin, Geneva Cruz, were once at odds with Sheryl.
Being candid about her marital problems has helped actress Sunshine Cruz cope with depression, according to her cousin and cast mate Sheryl.
“I think it’s good that Sunshine is talking about it … you don’t want to just keep the feeling bottled up,” Sheryl said at a press con for the ABS-CBN series “Galema: Anak ni Zuma.”
She added, “That wouldn’t be good for her health, [especially] since we come from a family that suffers from hypertension and heart ailments.”
Sunshine recently separated from actor Cesar Montano, her husband of 13 years, after accusing him of having an affair with starlet Krista Miller.
The 50-year-old actor denied any involvement with Miller.
Last month, Sunshine filed a court case against Cesar, accusing him of subjecting her to “physical, psychological and sexual abuse.”
“It’s been a while since Sunshine and I talked,” said Sheryl. “‘Galema’ is thus a bonding experience for us. I’m very excited watching how Sunshine has flourished as an actress, despite what she’s going through.”
Single moms
Sheryl said Sunshine has been coping so well that she no longer needed advice. “She’s level-headed. I give her my full support,” stressed Sheryl. “It’s unfortunate that all sorts of stories are coming out. Things get magnified a million times because she’s a celebrity.”
SHERYL says Sunshine is level-headed and no longer needs advice.
Sheryl said they enjoyed working together. “We would sing during breaks and laugh about all sorts of things. We don’t talk about our [former] partners. We just want to uplift each other. We both know how hard it is to raise children on our own. Sunshine has three, I have only one daughter, Ashley. I really admire [Sunshine’s] strength.”
Sheryl divorced husband Norman Bustos in 2008 after 12 years of marriage.
Sunshine is very close to her daughters (Angel Francheska, Angeline Isabelle and Samantha Angeline), Sheryl observed. “She is very proud of them. She tells me that they are all musically gifted. I see that they got their talent from the Cruz side. It’s innate.”
Old rift
As Sheryl talked about her cousin, there was no trace of an old rift between them. Sunshine and their other cousin Geneva publicly criticized Sheryl, who was based in the United States at the time, for failing to come home when her father Ricky Belmonte died in 2001.
“Everything is good between us now. We’ve put the past behind us and we’re moving forward. When we spoke with each other again, I told Sunshine that it was okay. Bad things were said because emotions we’re running high at that time … it’s hard to bite one’s tongue sometimes.”
She added, “I’m not a person who keeps a grudge. I know that in the end, family is still the most important [thing]. I think that both our fathers would be pleased with everything good that’s happening between us. I have good memories of us growing up.” Ricky and Sunshine’s late father, Danny, were brothers.
“Galema: Anak ni Zuma” premieres on September 30 and also stars Andi Eigenmann and Matteo Guidicelli.
(Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph.)