Snooky Serna
Actress
It would be hypocritical of her, Snooky Serna admitted, if she claimed she didn’t care anymore whether or not she marries again.
“I’m hoping… Why not, especially if you think you’ve found the man of your dreams,” said Snooky, who’s currently in “a fairly new” relationship with a businessman. “You say these kinds of things when you’re in love. And well, maybe I am! I’m praying that he’s the one. ”
The only thing that could probably get in the way is the couple’s difference in faith. Snooky said she wouldn’t be able to tie the knot with this boyfriend, unless he joins Iglesia ni Cristo, in which the former child star has been with since 2011.
But though she remains hopeful, Snooky stressed that she wouldn’t force her partner to convert. “I believe that there are some things that are beyond us—like faith,” she told a group of reporters at a recent press conference for GMA 7’s new afternoon drama series, “Hahamakin ang Lahat.”
“I hope that with his noble intentions, he gets ‘called.’ But I don’t want him to join the Iglesia simply because of me. I would rather he does it on his own volition,” added Snooky, who has been married twice in the past: first, to actor Ricardo Cepeda, and then to musician Niño Mendoza.
“But I’m very thankful that he’s respectful of my beliefs. He even accompanies me when we have activities, or when I have to attend worship services,” she related.
She is 50; her boyfriend—whom she didn’t want to name, because “he’s not a public person, and doesn’t intend to be one”—is 60. And as clichéd as it may sound, Snooky said, age doesn’t matter.
“As long as your minds and hearts meet and if you have the connection, then there’s really no issue about it. It’s all about personality, experience and character,” she said. “I’m fortunate that my partner is mature, supportive of me and confident.”
Meanwhile, Snooky turned weepy when talk shifted to her two girls with Ricardo—Samantha, 24, and Sachi, 20—and their stepmother Marina Benipayo.
“My children usually spend the weekends with them. I’m so thankful and touched that she accepts my kids and takes care of them,” she said, describing Marina, a costar in “Hahamakin,” as “a good woman.” “I wish her happiness.”
As for Snooky’s relationship with Ricardo—with whom she was married for 12 years, before getting annulled back in 2006—the actress said they’re civil to each other. “We’re happy with our own lives,” she said.