Cristine Reyes looks back on 26-year love story with fiancé Gio Tingson

MANILA, May 28 ------ Actress Cristine Reyes is still in cloud nine as she shared her love story and engagement with her non-showbiz boyfriend, Gio Tingson. "Very happy, super inside and out," Reyes said when askedby veteran host Boy Abunda if she's happy. "Siguro ngayon mas kalmado, mas malinaw ang mga bagay-bagay, 'yung stability," she added.

In her interview with Abunda, Reyes said she met Tingson when they were in grade school at a school fair. "It's funny kasi we've met in Ateneo grade school fair in a marriage booth," Reyes said, recalling that she was in sixth grade at the time while Tingson was in seventh. "I got pulled as marriage booth, but hindi siya 'yung groom, siya 'yung pari sa marriage booth, 'yun ang kwento. ... He told me that he asked for my number. Ang ibinigay ko is my number but my name parang ang ibinigay ko was Agent Orange. But I gave my number I think," Reyes said. "So lagi kaming telebabad but he would never ask me kung gusto niya ba akong maging girlfriend. Never niya ako tinanong so ako naman eh 'di sige magkaibigan tayo," she added.

Belonging to same group of friends, Reyes said she and Tingson were always connected. "May constant ano, may 'MU' ganoon and everybody knows it naman like my friends and friends niya alam na parang may tension sa aming dalawa pero we don't really engage. Kasi may individual life kami noon -- may sarili siyang partner noon, ako rin nagkakaroon. Kapag nagkikita kami may tension," Reyes added.

The reconnection, according to Reyes, happened when both of them were single. "He asked if we could talk, meet. So we were always seeing each other right after campaigns. He was with different party, I was with different party, magkaibang party but we will meet after," she said. At first, they were dating but with friends. "Siguro nag-start kami na together lang magkasama na kaming dalawa lang mga after few months after the election na," Reyes added.

Reyes said that the engagement happened at her home one Sunday morning before going to church. She said that Tingson went to her place. A video of the special milestone was actually taken by Reyes' daughter Amarah. "May dala siyang paper bag na maliit. Parang nakakutob ako. Kasi knowing Gio at saka alam niya ako, we don't want something super spectacle, super grand. So when I saw it at 'yung face parang seryoso ay naramdaman ko na. Alam ko na, ito na 'yon. So I immediately called Amarah. Parang instinct ko lang. Parang I want to have a recording, documentation of this special moment na lahat ng babae pinapangarap na someone na mangangako na makasama ka habangbuhay. So sabi ko instinctively 'Amarah, record this,'" she said.

"Tapos ako umupo na ako, seryoso na si Gio tapos bigla siyang lumuhod. Tapos he popped the question, 'Will you marry me?' ... Hindi pa ako agad nakasagot parang overwhelming 'yung feeling, bumuhos ang emotion, umiyak agad, nagyakapan kami, 'di pa ako nakasalita ng yes. Pero based on my reaction it's yes. Hindi ko nasabi he had to ask agad 'Ano, yes?' I said 'yes,'" she added.

Reyes announced last week her engagement to Tingson, a former chairman of National Youth Commission, through a social media post, sharing a caption that read: “every timeline led here. endgame unlocked.” Reyes was previously married to Ali Khatibi, father of her daughter, Amarah. Her last public relationship was with actor Marco Gumabao.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com