MANILA, Philippines -- Actress-host Toni Gonzaga finally spoke on the issue that her boyfriend of six years, director Paul Soriano, is seeing another girl.
The issue stemmed a photo circulating online which shows Soriano with another woman who is not from showbiz.
Gonzaga said the photo was taken way before she met Soriano.
"Lumang picture, before na hindi pa kami nagkakakakilala. Tumu-throwback Thursday naman at Flashback Friday," she told reporters on Friday, referring to the practice of posting old photos on social media sites on certain days of the week.
Irritated by the intrigues, Gonzaga said she would rather focus on making her relationship with Soriano work.
"Dumating na ako sa point na I don't want to defend the picture anymore, I don't want to say anything about the picture anymore because it will sound na parang pinagtatanggol ko siya at masyado akong, iisipin ng iba, tanga-tangahan ako. Hindi na," she said.
"Kung ano na lang makita niyo sa litrato, husgahan niyo na lang siya hanggang gusto niyong husgahan. Pagpiyestahan niyo siya hanggang gusto niyong pagpiyestahan. Kasi ang importante ay nakarating na ako sa six years, kampante na kalooban ko, may peace of mind na ako. Ang babae naman, may intuition. Kami, sanay na kami," she added.
Gonzaga admitted Soriano also felt hurt after learning about the issue.
"Noong una nahu-hurt siya. He's not from the business, director siya, iniisip niya why people can come up with this, why are people like that, people are mean. Sabi ko, hindi natin 'yon maiiwasan talaga. There are people who like to celebrate 'yung lies and negative issues or negative stories, gusto nila 'yon, hayaan na lang natin," she said.
Gonzaga then stressed the importance of trust in any relationship.
"I think trust is very important. At kapag nasira ang trust, kahit anong sabihin natin na buo na siya ulit, may cracks na 'yon. So it's very important to take care of trust. Alam niya (Soriano) ang consequence hindi lang sa akin. Alam niya din ang consequence sa mommy ko, sa daddy ko, madaming consequence."
On marriage and the 7-year-itch
This June, Gonzaga and Soriano are celebrating their seventh year as a couple.
"Right now, dahil sunud-sunod ang schedule, medyo hindi pa kami nagkakaroon ng time. Pero kami naman ni Paul, we see to it that every day can be anniversary day, hindi lang 'yung exact date na 'yon. So we will find time to spend our anniversary in another day. Going on our seventh (year)," Gonzaga said.
Asked about her thoughts on the "seven-year-itch," a tipping point where couples usually start taking each other for granted, Gonzaga said: "Oo nga eh, lagi nilang sinasabi pero I don't want to dwell on the negative. I'd rather think of it as we're going on our seventh wonderful year. Kasi kapag inisip mo, the seven-year-itch na negative, baka doon pumunta."
"Simula noong second year namin, every year may hula na mabubuntis ako, every year may hula na mabubuntis ako, at every year may hula na maghihiwalay kami at every year may hula na magpapakasal kami. So, hopefully may tumamang isa, 'yun na lang," she added.
Asked if Soriano is getting tired of waiting for them to settle down, Gonzaga replied: "Naiinip na din yon. Hindi na ako magsisinungaling, may mga times na inip na inip na din yon. Dahil medyo patong-patong ang trabaho and I'm a contract artist of ABS-CBN, there are some stipulations sa contract, so tinatapos ko 'yon. Malapit na din naman. So darating na din tayo sa puntong 'yon na kapag I'm moving on to the next chapter of my life ay sasabihin ko naman. Ayaw ko nang magsalita kung kailan."
So is Gonzaga ready should Soriano propose to her this year?
"Go, wala na rin akong magagawa. Walang pigilan. Wala pang proposal. Sasabihin ko naman sa inyo kapag nag-propose na. Tignan niyo, dini-delay ang anniversary, malay niyo mag-propose," she said.
Cooking show
Aside from "ASAP" and "The Voice of the Philippines, Gonzaga will be hosting a cooking show titled "Kuwentong Buhay, Kuwentong Kusina," which will feature inspiring stories from featured letter senders.
Together with a Kapamilya star or a celebrity chef, Gonzaga will prepare special recipes.
The host-actress said her newest show came as a big surprise to her.
"Noong sinabi sa akin na may cooking reality show, sabi ko, hindi nga? Kasi nahilig ako sa pagluluto. Sabi ko nakakatuwa na mag-bless si Lord, nahilig ako sa pagluluto, parang it's my newfound passion. Tapos ngayon ay mae-enhance ko pa ang passion na 'yon sa pamamagitan nito. 'Ang Kwentong Buhay, Kuwentong Kusina' po is not an just ordinary cooking show because it's not just going to feature the dishes, kung hindi story na makaka-inspire sa atin. We are featuring different people and how their lives changed because of food, and how food became part of their life," Gonzaga said.
In the interview, Gonzaga shrugged off the issue comparing her to Judy Ann Santos, who recently hosted the local editions of the cooking reality shows "MasterChef" and "Junior MasterChef."
"Ay naku huwag po. Huwag niyo kaming i-compare kasi ang hinost ni Ms. Judai ay 'MasterChef,' it's a cooking competition show, cooking contest. This is not a contest, this is a reality cooking show. Naisip ko nga kaya ako nailagay dito dahil may reality na nakasulay. So it's a reality show that has cooking," she said.
Asked if her fondness for cooking is a preparation for her in case she settles down, Gonzaga said: "This can be a good preparation for me, mahirap naman magi-start ka ng family mo tapos hindi mo kayang alagaan ang family mo. Part of taking care of your family is cooking for them, not just loving them or taking care of them. So 'yung pakainin mo sila at busugin ng pagmamahal sa kusina," she said.
