Ramos (right) with Michelle Dee
After Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee recently came out as bisexual, some fans on social media started linking her to other female celebrities. One of them is Dee’s housemate, Rhian Ramos.
Their closeness has been steadily attracting shippers, some of whom have created lighthearted fan edits and videos to express their fascination and fantasies about the two ending up together in real life. And the fact that the two GMA 7 stars live under one roof and playfully call each other “wife” and “honey” only fuels the fans’ hopes.
While Rhian finds the situation amusing and cute, she stressed that she and Michelle really are just good friends. “I told Michelle, ‘Girl, babaera ka ba (Are you a womanizer)? Bakit ang daming nali-link sa ‘yo?’ We joke about it,” she said, laughing, in an interview with the Inquirer and select reporters, at a recent press conference for the new primetime series, “Royal Blood.”
READ: Michelle Dee comes out as bisexual: ‘I’m attracted to all forms of beauty’
And sorry to burst people’s bubbles, but the rumors linking the two—or Michelle with other girls, for that matter—are just that, Rhian said. “None of those are true. I would know,” stressed Rhian, who’s actually in a romantic relationship with businessman and party list Rep. Sam Verzosa. Rhian has always wanted to experience living with a friend but has never had the chance. But when acting projects started to gradually return two years ago with the easing of COVID-19-related protocols, Rhian figured that it was more convenient and safer to move out of the family home.
Accepting each other
That was when Rhian floated the idea of sharing an apartment with Michelle, who happened to be thinking of doing something similar. “As the moving-in day approached, I said, ‘My God, wala na bang atrasan ‘to?’ We had already made a downpayment. A lot of people were telling us that this would ruin our friendship and we would just end up fighting,” Rhian related. “But that hasn’t happened to us. It’s not that we don’t do anything wrong. Sometimes, I leave things where they aren’t supposed to be and other quirks. But we’ve never fought because we don’t expect perfection from each other in the first place,” she said.
“We love each other as friends just to be clear to the internet people,” Rhian quipped. “We accept each other.”
Rhian has always known about Michelle’s sexual identity and her worries about coming out. “We had this talk lots of times in the past. She said, ‘Do I just tell people? Because I feel like they already know anyway.’ And I would tell her that she should do what feels right to her; it can’t come from me,” she related. “One day, she said, ‘Guess what’s happening? I’m coming out!’”
Rhian Ramos
Authentic self
Rhian couldn’t be prouder.
“I’m just so happy that she has taken control of her own story. Sometimes, if you’re a celebrity or a beauty queen, you feel like you have to present the most sellable version of yourself. But here she is now, showing her authentic self. She’s so mature,” Rhian said. “She didn’t allow herself to get bullied into coming out. Sexuality is something personal—it’s not for other people to out you.”
Directed by Dominic Zapata, “Royal Blood ‘’ is a murder-mystery series that revolves around Napoy (Dingdong Dantes), a loving single father who works as a motorcycle rider to provide for his young daughter’s needs. Despite mounting financial problems, he makes ends meet, thanks to his caring friends and neighbors.
But as it turns out, Napoy is the bastard son of business tycoon Gustavo Royales (Tirso Cruz III). To make amends for his past mistakes, Gustavo brings Napoy into his family. But as Napoy tries to get to know his half-siblings, their partners and other family members, Gustavo gets murdered.
Napoy becomes the obvious primary suspect. But as the case progresses, the situation gets more complicated: No one is who they seem to be.
“We were initially given two to three scripts. But after that, we got the new scripts on a weekly basis. No one knows who the real killer is. Even we keep on guessing. They told us that the final script will still not name the suspect … I love the story. It’s different from what I have done in the past,” said Rhian, who plays Margaret, Napoy’s conservative, mysterious half-sister.
“If Dingdong is in it, you know that the rest of the team is the best of the best, too. Dingdong is easy to work with and an amazing actor. He throws his lines in a natural way and it can take you by surprise, which, in turn, gives you something to react to,” she said. Margaret is an antiheroine of sorts. And Rhian relishes playing that type of character. “I absolutely love doing gray characters … Because I think all people in real life are that way. I love that my character is feisty. She keeps me on my toes. There’s always something new to explore and learn,” she said.