Ria Atayde and Zanjoe Marudo announce engagement on Feb. 20. Image: Instagram/@ria
Ria Atayde and Zanjoe Marudo have entered a new chapter in their relationship as they announced their engagement on Tuesday, Feb. 20, almost two years after they were confirmed to be dating.
In a joint Instagram post, the couple shared a glimpse of them enjoying their vacation at an undisclosed location, while another photo showed Atayde showing off her engagement ring with a rare hexagon cut diamond, called lonsdaleite.
“Forever sounds good,” the caption read.
Atayde followed up the post with an Instagram Story entry that showed her and Marudo in bed after apparently just waking up. She captioned the post simply with a “Hi, fiancé” and a hand emoji.
Ri Atayde and Zanjoe Marudo. Image from Instagram Stories / @ria
Fellow celebrities such as Maris Racal, Kaila Estrada, Jolina Magdangal, Rayver Cruz, Denise Laurel, Lovi Poe, Darren Espanto, and Janine Gutierrez flooded the couple’s post with congratulatory messages, hoping their relationship would last longer.
Images: Screengrab from Instagram/@ria
Atayde’s mother Sylvia Sanchez confirmed the relationship between the actress and Marudo in late 2022 during an interview with broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, saying she is fully supportive of their relationship.
The couple, however, didn’t make a clear statement when they started dating since going public with their romance.
In a March 2023 interview, Atayde expressed her gratitude to Marudo for making her “feel valued as a woman” throughout their relationship. She also admitted that she, too, was unsure how they started developing feelings for each other as they were close friends.