LJ Reyes secure in her relationship with Paulo

A MORE modest LJ played a mom in “Aso ni San Roque.”

In spite of persistent rumors that she and actor Paulo Avelino have called it quits, actress LJ Reyes said she remains “secure” in their relationship.

“I’m tired of being the only one to talk about the issue, although I really know Paulo to be very shy and secretive about his personal life,” LJ said. “Compared to him, I’m more open.”

The actress stressed that she took no offense on Paulo’s decision to keep mum about the status of their relationship. The actor was even criticized for failing to acknowledge LJ and their two-year-old son Ethan Akio in his acceptance speech after winning the 2012 Urian best actor award for Alvin Yapan’s “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa.”

“I respect what he’s doing. I don’t know about him, but nobody is keeping me from talking about us. It’s just that I’m getting tired of answering the same old question. I’m secure when it comes to my relationship with him,” LJ said.

The Kapuso actress attributed her confidence to the maturity she has gained over the past four years. “When you grow older, ’yung experiences mo, things that you learn from different people that you meet, it molds you.”

So how “mature” is LJ in the bedroom?

“Ngayon, masasabi kong alam ko na kung anong gusto ko (Now I can say I know what I want). Mas expressive, oo. At mas vocal,” the actress was quoted as saying in an interview with FHM Philippines.

LJ REYES, FHM magazine cover girl for February 2013

A sexier and bolder LJ returns on the cover of FHM this February. She posed for the magazine’s cover for the first time in 2009.

For her second FHM cover shoot, she managed to be comfortable being photographed butt-naked in the water although it was not in the pegs shown to her beforehand.

She explained: “Confident kasi ako with the team and si Doc Marlon gusto ko talaga siyang photographer (I was confident with the team and I really like the photographer).

She is now poised to take on more versatile roles. “It will range from comedy, to drama, to action … gusto ko rin mag-rom-com … wala akong isang dream role lang (I also want to do rom-com… I don’t have one dream role),” she told FHM. “Gusto ko marami akong magawang magagandang films (I want to do many good films) that I will be proud of.”

Aside from being a semiregular on the GMA 7 Sunday music variety show “Party Pilipinas,” LJ is busy with several projects that the network has lined up for her. With a report from Marinel R. Cruz