Gabby Concepcion (left) and Cuneta
While ardent fans of the Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Concepcion love team gushed and raved about the two stars’ surprise duet at a recent advocacy show, there were also some observers who felt that there seemed to be something missing: “Less spark, less fire?”
But to this observation, the Megastar had a snappy, cracking reply. “Siguro naman mas nakakatakot kung meron pa rin kaming nararamdaman para sa isa’t isa!” she quipped, followed a hearty laugh.
Still, the reunion of sorts between the former screen partners and lovers had people talking on social media.
“I think it was more about how the people felt … the kilig that was overwhelming. Wow, the reaction was, ‘Uy, it’s still there, the chemistry’—I don’t think it can ever go away. This despite knowing that I’m happily married and that he has his own family, as well,” she told reporters at a recent press conference for “Iconic,” her upcoming, two-night concert with Regine Velasquez.
Curiously, the media event happened on Sept. 23—the exact date of her and Gabby’s church wedding.
“We have been living separate lives for so long now. We would have been married for 35 years—as a matter of a fact, today!” Sharon pointed out.
Her number with Gabby at PLDT’s Gabay Guro event was unplanned—“Come What May,” a duet from one of their earlier films—Sharon swore. “I had prepared two songs. But we weren’t supposed to sing together. I didn’t even know that he would be there.”
And it may have been very well a stroke of serendipity: The two were able to iron out whatever ongoing misunderstanding, or tampuhan, they were having. “Gabby asked a friend of mine if he could talk to me. And I said, ‘You know what? Time has passed, and I think it’s OK,’” she related. “It was nice we talked, so we’re OK … It was nice that we could show everyone that we’re OK.”
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon and Gabby never really divulged the root of their most recent rift. Talk has it, however, that it had something to do with their supposed reunion film that ultimately went kaput, despite all the buzz they managed to generate with their commercial for a fast-food chain last year.
On a possible reunion project, she said: “If you ask me, I’m open to it. No problems. I’m a professional actor.”
If not a film, then at least a guest appearance at the concert? “Huwag muna. I don’t think it’s the right time,” Sharon surmised. “The show should be about Regine and me.”
“Iconic,” which is Sharon’s first back-to-back concert with another female singer, is set on Oct. 18 and 19 at Smart Araneta Coliseum (call 911-5555). Because she and Regine are expected to sing a number of duets, they’re also expecting the inevitable comparisons from critics.
It’s a collaboration, the singer-actress pointed out—not a competition. “It’s apples and oranges. Instead of comparing us, the people can look forward to two different styles coming together. I hope they appreciate that,” she said, adding that she has always been cognizant of her strengths and weaknesses as a singer.
“I’m an alto, so my voice is lower. Regine can hit all the notes. But I have my own style. I know my limits. I put my heart into it—as will Regine,” she said.
Also at the press conference, Sharon, 53, revealed that she’s planning to go into semiretirement when she turns 55. Next year will be packed. But after that, she will “considerably slow down.”
At this point in her life, Sharon admitted that she had been feeling drained—not just physically—but emotionally and mentally, too. “Show biz has changed. The landscape has changed. And I will not let show biz eat my person or change my soul,” she said, who also touched on how she had fallen in the toxic trap of social media.
But regardless of how her career unfolds, Sharon can safely say that show biz—her fans in particular—has been very good to her.
“If people still love what you do, then you will always have a reason to come back,” she said.