How Chef Jose Sarasola and girlfriend Maria Ozawa handle bashers

Kapuso hottie and 'The Lost Recipe' actor Chef Jose Sarasola recently celebrated his fourth anniversary with his girlfriend, international star Maria Ozawa. Fittingly, the couple's anniversary falls exactly on February 14 or Valentine's Day.

In Chef Jose's guest appearance on 'Tunay na Buhay,' host Pia Arcangel surprised him by also having Maria join the interview via video call.

Chef Jose first talked about how his relationship with Maria is going so far.

“It's good. It's been an amazing four years. It's kind of a struggle now because we're not together. Maria's in a different country. She's in Japan. So, LDR has been really challenging, but we're getting through it.

The celebrity couple then recounted how they first met each other.

Chef Jose narrated, “She actually dropped by my bar with a common friend. The first time she came to my bar, of course, I knew who she was, but I didn't wanna act like starstrucked. I tried to be like cool, relaxed. I didn't really join their table too much.”

Maria then shared what her first impression was of Chef Jose.

“I was like, 'Wow. Who is this macho guy?' (laughs) Very cute!”

Maria also revealed that due to cultural differences, she got confused about their relationship status at some point.

“Well, actually, this is funny because I was the one who was telling Jose that in Japan, we don't have courting. Like when we date two, three times, we are like a couple.

“I was like telling him, 'So, are we? What are we? Like dating? Are we friends? What's this courting stuff that you're doing?' And so, he explained it to me.

“And then I think after a few months or maybe less than a year, we decided to become a couple.”

Chef Jose also talked about not being intimidated by Maria's international fame.

“I really didn't think that way, and I think it worked na I didn't give her that impression. I didn't treat her as Maria Ozawa, the international star, I treated her as Maria Ozawa the person, who she really is inside.”

He also revealed that due to Maria's former career in the adult film industry, he received a lot of bashing online.

“It was really hard, Ms. Pia. Name it, lahat ng mga bashing and like, you know, mga crude and negative comments nakuha ko.

“I would sometimes answer back sa mga negative comments or mga nagba-bash sa amin, but then my friends were saying, 'Alam mo the more that you answer back to these people, you're making them win or be happy e.”

Maria, on the other hand, took it in stride and tried to focus on their relationship and their happiness.

“I'm kinda used to it because of the industry that I was in before. But, at first I heard that, I felt really sorry for Jose.

“I guess we kinda like just slip it aside. Like, if we're happy then who cares about the other people.”

Maria then described Chef Jose as a “malambing” boyfriend, and revealed it was him who taught him that Filipino word.

“He's very sweet…like how he cooks or like how he's gentleman, like ladies first.”

She also gave him a message for their fourth-year anniversary.

“Actually, it's our first time going out with someone for four years and I'm happy that it's me. I really miss you and I hope I see you very, very soon. Sana this year.”

Watch the full interview of Chef Jose Sarasola and Maria Ozawa in the 'Tunay na Buhay' video below.

For more celebrity features like this, watch 'Tunay na Buhay' every Wednesday, 11:30 P.M. on GMA-7.

And for more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.

Check out the sweet photos of Chef Jose Sarasola and Maria Ozawa in the gallery below.