Aiko Melendez
For Aiko Melendez, “strong is the new sexy.”
Instead of letting her worries gnaw at her while in quarantine, she figured that she could use her free time better by working on her fitness—and achieve her body goals in the process.
“During this pandemic, I realized that you really need to take care of yourself … We have to look after our body and immune system. And somehow, it was when I started to get old that I felt like I was losing weight,” she told the Inquirer in a virtual conference for the GMA 7 drama series “Prima Donnas,” which resumed airing new episodes on Nov. 9.
The 44-year-old actress, who has been posting photos of her progress on Instagram, hopes to reach her target weight before her birthday on Dec. 16.
“After we were put on lockdown, I focused on working out because I didn’t have anything to do anyway. Kinarir ko,” said Aiko, who also hopes to inspire other people with her wellness journey.
“I wanted to set an example for others that just because you’re getting old doesn’t mean you have to neglect yourself. Now is a good time to take care of yourself. If you can inspire people, why not? That’s what I hope to do,” she added. “Instead of feeling lonely at home, I wanted to spread positivity.”
As a celebrity, she feels that she owes her fans and audience to look her best onscreen. “I don’t want to be bashed anymore,” she admitted. “When I look at the monitor, I see that I look good in front of the camera, that’s my gift to my audience.”
But the process isn’t exactly a walk in the park. There were many instances, she admitted, when she felt like throwing in the towel. “Sometimes, my weight would yoyo. But Katrina (Halili, her costar) would tell me, ‘Kaya natin ’yan,’ when I recently put back 4 pounds,” she said. “But, thankfully, I’m getting the work done. It takes lots of dedication and discipline to do the things we want.”
Inspiration also helps. And Aiko gets that from her loved ones, friends and fans. It’s especially heartening, she related, when she gets messages and comments on Instagram from people who find strength in her posts. “Sometimes, my followers would thank me for encouraging them. And I don’t want to stop because of that,” she said.
Melendez
In “Prima Donnas,” Aiko plays the contravida, Kendra, who’s out to torment the lives of Lilian (Halili), Donna Marie (Jillian Ward), Donna Belle (Althea Ablan) and Donna Lyn (Sofia Pablo) in her quest for power, love and ambition.
Most of Aiko’s previous shows had her playing villains—and popular ones at that. But next year, she said she would like to take a break from that and explore other types of characters.
“‘Prima Donnas’ may be my last contravida role for now. I want to try something different, because playing villains is draining, and my fans would get tired of me,” she pointed out.
The first day of their lock-in taping felt different … lonely, almost. Because from a 100 or so people on the set, they’re down to a handful.
“It’s sad because there were just a few of us. And that also means that things are more hectic. The following days were a lot better. We understand that this is for our safety. The anxiety went away. And now we’re excited,” she said.
Luckily, for the Kapuso star, her kids Andre, 22 (with Jomari Yllana), and Marthena, 14 (with Martin Jickain), are now old enough to understand the current setup; why she has to be away for longer periods.
“My daughter is busy with online classes in the morning. So, it’s only at night that my children start to miss me. But, luckily, we have technology—FaceTime, Messenger … It’s different because earlier this year, we were together all the time,” Aiko related. “I just have to explain that I need to work and that I’m blessed that I have work in these times.”