HEART: “If it (marriage to Senator Chiz) comes, I’ll embrace it.”
While actress Heart Evangelista acknowledges that what she and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero have “is a very serious relationship,” marriage is not yet in sight.
“I used to have a deadline for myself,” Evangelista tells the Inquirer. “I now refuse to feel pressured by it.”
The star of the latest GMA 7 drama series “Forever” adds: “If it (marriage) comes, I’ll embrace it. I don’t have expectations. That’s what makes [this relationship] better than my past ones. I’m just enjoying the moment.”
Good influence
Evangelista says the lawmaker is a good influence. “I think differently now because of him. He is all about being simple. He also teaches me how to handle different situations. I can be tactless sometimes, so he tells me to be careful not to hurt other people’s feelings.”
“He has never made me feel that he’s a senator. He’s not so different from the rest of us,” says Evangelista of Escudero, whom she has been dating for eight months now.
The 27-year-old actress further describes Escudero as “humble, not flashy and… isn’t too keen on buying expensive stuff for himself. When he caught me shopping one time, he asked, ‘Don’t you feel bad when you spend too much on something?’ I said, ‘Sometimes.’”
In spite of being frequently seen in public together, Escudero only admitted his relationship with Evangelista in October via the morning show “Kris TV.” Heart, on the other hand, first admitted dating the 43-year-old lawmaker in November, shortly after their three-day vacation in Hong Kong.
Evangelista’s parents are known to be very vocal about their disapproval of their daughter’s past romances. However, the actress is thankful that on her current affair, “they’ve learned to keep their opinions private.”
She says: “I understand them—they will always want the best for me but sometimes they can be very idealistic. They’ve been quiet since the time of Daniel.”
Still good friends
Daniel is Japanese-Brazilian model-actor Daniel Matsunaga, whom Heart dated for almost two years until March 2012. She claims they’ve remained good friends and still get to talk occasionally. “There’s no bad blood between us. I’m happy for all his accomplishments. I’m glad that his transfer to another station (from GMA 7 to TV5) did him good.”
More independent
Heart says past experiences have taught her to become “stronger, more independent and more appreciative of the people around me and of everything I have.”
“2012 was great,” she relates. “I think it was a time for great changes in my life. I now feel very contented. My New Year’s resolutions are actually to develop myself more, to be healthier, to be more appreciative of things and to help more people.”
“Forever,” directed by Jun Lana, also features Geoff Eigenmann, Isabel Oli, Gian Magdangal, Marc Abaya and Gloria Romero. It premiered on Monday on GMA 7’s Telebabad block.
Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph.