Heart’s tips on surviving competition in fashion world

Heart Evangelista (right) in an interview with Boy Abunda —CONTRIBUTED photos

“He’s a lawyer. I will never win an argument against him,” said actress and global fashion icon Heart Evangelista of her husband, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, when asked to recall what it was like during their first years as a married couple.

Heart and Chiz tied the knot in 2015, and this year, they “got married again,” Heart said, by having their ceremonial renewal of vows.

“I used to be timid in our relationship, partly because I trust him so much. There was a time when we would clash. I would walk out on him, or I would just listen to him until I kind of ‘grew up’,” the actress recalled. “But when I eventually found my voice, I think I went overboard a bit. A lot of things happened in our marriage that led us to this—when I need to speak, he listens. Who would have thought that Chiz would go to Fashion Week with me and learn how to properly take my pictures? I feel like I’ve bloomed as a person when he started supporting me.”

Heart celebrated her 38th birthday on Feb. 14. She said renewing their vows was “expected to make the relationship more complete and would make more sense. Before, I thought I already knew what love was. Now, I know what it should be,” she said in an interview with TV host Boy Abunda during her launch as the latest endorser of the digital banking app GCash.

Unconditional love

“I feel like there are many loves that will come into your life, but what will stand out the most is what will eventually be your true love—it’s unconditional, it’s very rare. That’s who he is for me,” Heart declared.

In spite of everything she has accomplished as a celebrity, she still considers “family as everything.” She explained: “When you are faced with something, you always go back to your family. At the end of the day, they’re the ones who really know your heart. Even if you sometimes forget to listen to your own heart. I’m OK with losing everything, except my family.”

Family is Chiz, his two children, and their dogs Panda and Cheche.

She also said her parents, Reynaldo and Cecilia Ongpauco, are very proud of her. “Dad encountered a little hiccup recently. He’s in the United States now (with Heart’s sister). I’m happy [with our relationship]. Dad was against me joining show biz. He was into producing films under Everlasting Pictures, so he knows what usually happens in the industry. It was very hard to convince him. My mom is the supportive one. She was with me in all my show biz events,” Heart recalled. “All the things that I had to go through when I was younger, they don’t make any sense now. I’m very blessed. I wouldn’t change my parents, even if I were given a chance. Never. I will take both the good and the bad.”

Heart proudly said she also has a good relationship with the senator’s kids. “I was childlike when I entered the relationship. Sadly, I had a mind of a 16-year-old. It was hard for me to be more patient,” she began. “I didn’t give them the gift of life, but they accepted me in their lives. They trusted me. I’m grateful. Also, I think it’s good practice for when I have kids of my own.”

Heart Evangelista –MARINEL CRUZ

Interesting technique

Despite being a regular fixture in fashion events around the world, Heart admitted to often feeling intimidated by other fashion celebrities and shared an interesting technique to overcome it. Don’t look at Fashion Week events as a competition. “In fairness to me, I have never seen anyone whose gown I wished to burn. I’m one of the smallest there. I don’t look like I can harm anyone. I enjoy it because even if they give you a set of outfits to wear, it’s how you wear it that will make a difference. You’ll never look the same as the others,” she pointed out.

When you feel that people around you are sort of unfriendly, “you keep your chin up and just put on a character,” Heart advised. She explained: “I’ve encountered all the big names in fashion, but the sweetest is Bella Hadid. We never talked, but when she was on the runway, she caught me looking at her. I guess I was wearing a smile because she broke her character and smiled back at me. That’s when I said, ‘Ay mabait siya!’ She is super pleasant. Gigi Hadid is also like that. I bumped into her at one point. She’s so tall and I felt like I was a character from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ [a hobbit] when I was beside her. She apologized for bumping into me. I also saw Kendall (Jenner) and she seemed like a decent person.”

Heart said she is very grateful for all the attention she has been getting, including from companies interested to get her as a brand endorser. “I never thought people would appreciate my kaartehan (being frivolous and vain)! The biggest lesson here is that it’s important to keep doing what you love. This will eventually take you places. It could eventually be something big. This is also proof to me that if you’re in a very difficult situation, just hang in there, and you will survive. You will make it.”