(From left) Paola Huyong and Ryan Bang. Images: Instagram/@paohuyong
Six months into their relationship, Ryan Bang already knew that his non-showbiz partner Paola Huyong was “the one” for him.
While he didn’t disclose when exactly they started dating, Bang said he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Huyong after his fiancée and her family accepted him fully “without any judgment,” as mentioned in an ABS-CBN News interview uploaded on Saturday, June 29.
“Anim na buwan pa lang, alam ko na siya eh,” Bang said of Huyong. “Siyempre, ang buhay natin, [may] ups and downs. Na-realize ko habang sa pinagdaanan namin, masayang moments sa’min, sa travels, kung paano ako tinanggap ng pamilya niya. Grabe, walang judgment talaga.”
(I knew she was “the one” six months after we started dating. Of course, we had ups and downs in life. I realized this in the problems we’ve been through, in our happy moments, our travels, and how I was accepted by her family. There was no judgment at all.)
The TV host said Huyong and her family accepted his Korean roots as well as his family background, knowing his parents had been separated for quite some time.
“Inaccept nila ang culture ko, pamilya ko, since [separated] ang pamilya ko. Paano i-accept ang pagkatao ko so alam mo, naramdaman mo ‘yung [gusto mong] makasama habang buhay,” he said.
(They accepted my culture and family, knowing my parents were separated. They accepted who I am. So I felt she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.)
Proposal
Bang also shared that he proposed to Huyong during the birthday party of her older brother, which took place at a coffee shop she owned.
“Siyempre, sobra ako kinabahan. Grabe tibok ng puso ko. Birthday ng Kuya niya… may coffee shop siya, baby niya. First store, I wanted to propose there. Kunwari, nag vo-vlog ako… T’as habang nag spiels ako — lumuhod na ako. Pag harap niya may singsing na,” he recalled.
(Of course, I was very nervous. My heart was beating so fast. It was her Kuya’s birthday. It took place at her coffee shop, her baby. It was her first store so I wanted to propose there. I made it seem like I was vlogging, and then during my spiels, I knelt down. She saw I was holding a ring.)
Bang and Huyong announced their engagement on June 29, about a year since they started dating, per a TV Patrol report. While their romance started with a football game, it remains unknown when they first met and when they got together.
The “It’s Showtime” host confirmed his relationship with Huyong in August 2023, although his partner’s identity wasn’t made public at the time. Huyong was eventually revealed two months later.