Lorna Tolentino and her late husband Rudy Fernandez. Image: Instagram/@lornatolentinofernandez
Lorna Tolentino disclosed that her husband, the late action star Rudy Fernandez, had made a promise to himself when she was just seven years old to someday marry her — a promise that he eventually fulfilled.
In an interview with journalist Korina Sanchez, which was uploaded on Net25’s YouTube channel on Sunday, Sept. 24, Tolentino recounted her romance with Fernandez, whom she met when she was still a little girl.
“Ilang taon ka noong may Rudy Fernandez na (How old were you when Rudy Fernandez came to your life)?” Sanchez asked Tolentino.
“Seven years old ako noong nakita niya ako. Tapos noong 14 years old ako, naging best friend niya ‘yung kapatid ng mama ko… pumupunta siya sa bahay tapos nakikita na niya ako. Noong adult na ‘yung mga roles namin, medyo naging close na kami,” Tolentino aid.
(He saw me when I was seven years old. Then when I was 14 years old, he became best friends with my mother’s sibling. He would visit our house, and he would see me there. When we took up adult roles, that’s when we became close.)
The seasoned actress then shared what Fernandez told her as his promise to himself even when she was still young then, that he would marry her when she finally grows up. Tolentino is 10 years younger than her husband, which means that the late action star was 17 when he saw her for the first time.
“Actually ang sinabi niya sa akin, tinupad daw niya ‘yung pangako niya noong pinakasalan niya ako… ‘yung pangakong pakakasalan niya nga ako noong makita niya ako noong seven years old ako. Palakihin daw nang mabuti ‘yung batang ‘yan at pakakasalan ko siya,” she said.
(Actually, he told me that he fulfilled his promise of marrying me upon seeing me when I was seven years old. He said that I should grow up well because he’ll be marrying me.)
During the interview, Tolentino said she didn’t have any experiences when it comes to relationships except with Fernandez.
“Wala akong experience kundi si Daboy lang,” she said, referring to her husband using his showbiz moniker. “Mas okay para sa’kin [kasi parehas kami ng industriya]. Maraming tinuro sa’kin si Daboy na dala-dala ko hanggang ngayon.”
(I don’t have any experiences except Daboy. It’s better for me since we’re in the same industry. He taught me a lot of things that I still carry up to this day.)
Tolentino and Fernandez tied the knot in a civil ceremony in 1983 before exchanging their vows in a lavish affair in 1992. They have two sons named Renz and Raphael. The late actor is also the father of the actor Mark Anthony Fernandez with Alma Moreno.
Fernandez died in June 2008 after battling peri-ampullary cancer. EDV