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Paulo Avelino revealed what matters most to him during an interview at “Tonight with Boy Abunda.”
During the segment of the host’s show where interviewees have to answer questions while facing themselves in a mirror, the “The Promise of Forever” actor became teary-eyed at the first question.
“The man in the mirror, he’s a father, he’s an actor, he’s a boyfriend. Who is he first?” asked Abunda.
Avelino was silent at first and his eyes started to tear up. “I’ve always wanted to be a father first but maraming komplikasyon, maraming misunderstandings but I’ve always wanted to be a father first,” he shared.
The actor is father to Aki, his 7-year-old son with actress LJ Reyes. Reyes is raising their son with actor Paolo Contis.
Avelino was absent from his son’s birthday party in July and claimed that he hadn’t been invited.
READ: Paulo Avelino ‘no-show’ at son Aki’s birthday party
In an interview earlier this September with ABS-CBN, the actor was asked if he was jealous of Contis’ close relationship with his biological son. “‘Di naman. May tamang oras naman na makasama ko ang anak ko; kumbaga di ko rin masabi kung anong nangyayari sa side nila [LJ at Paolo] (I don’t get jealous. There’s a right time when I can see him; I can’t say what’s going on on their side).”
When asked if he was able to spend time with his son, he said, “Inaayos, inaayos (It’s being arranged).”
While he appeared calm in the interview, based on his response in the talk show, it seemed there was more emotion than he let on.
Avelino admitted in July that he was dating Filipino-Australian model Jodie Elizabeth Tarasek.
READ: Paulo Avelino confirms relationship with Fil-Aussie model
During the mirror segment, Abunda probed if she was the one.
Avelino appeared uncomfortable and hesitant to answer until finally he said, “She could be.”
He related that she supported him during a difficult part of his life: “She came into my life in a very weird time. I just found someone that could be with me during these hard times.”
He also shared that she was still getting used to dealing with his celebrity status. “Medyo nagugulat pa rin siya (She still gets shocked)…She gets a lot of hate messages as well and tweets or Instagram comments.”
However, he said that Tarasek was getting used to it. Niña V. Guno /ra
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