Heart Evangelista: Winning by Surrendering
Text by Cherry Sun Photos by Angelo Villegas
The Queen of Creative Collaborations welcomes us into her chic office and talks about her heartwarming wins, her heartbreaking losses, and all the things that fill her heart with gratitude.
When I first met Heart Evangelista around five years ago, the Kapuso star was facing one of the major crossroads in her life.
Back then, I got to interview her as a co-host on StarTalk, a peculiar but pleasing presence among talk show veterans like Joey de Leon, Lolit Solis, Ricky Lo, and Butch Francisco. She was also just beginning to mount her paintings in her first solo art exhibit. In the same year, she got engaged, and in the following year, she married the man of her dreams, and finally reconciled with the rest of her family.
Half a decade ago, Heart was still working her way to her apposite place but now it can be said that the Queen of Creative Collaborations is now in a place where she truly belongs.
“Okay na ako. I’m a winner already with life so I’m happy. I don’t want to change my stars, I’m happy na with how it is,” Heart shares in her interview with GMANetwork.com.
It is not difficult to see where Heart’s fulfillment is coming from. In the last five years, she has remained to be an acclaimed celebrity, top-billing show after show. She has sold out all her art exhibits and has partnered with luxury brands for her art collaborations. She even landed an international project and captured the attention of Harper’s Bazaar, calling her one of the “real crazy rich Asians.”
Heart brushes off the idea, laughing. “I was clear with Harper’s that I wasn’t crazy rich compared with the other girls. It’s so much pressure so I try not to think about it and I just wake up every day, dress the way I want. Bahala na. I’m just being myself.”
It seems Heart—a woman living her dreams—has got it all figured out.
Her life, however, wasn’t always rainbows and butterflies.
The Kapuso star experienced one of the most heart-breaking moments in 2018 when she lost her twins.
Heart prefers not to talk about it, not out of denial but because she has fully moved on.
She explains, “It’s just really acceptance of the situation that some things just really don’t go your way and that [you should] believe and don’t doubt. The moment you accept that, you start to realize that maybe you are just being redirected from certain situations because God has a bigger plan for you. You cannot force things talaga to happen."
After acceptance came the much-needed recovery.
“When I realized that, I was slowly recovering every day and I started to see the beauty of life and what I already have, and everything else is just a bonus,” Heart adds.
What is admirable about Heart is her resilience amid the heartbreaking setbacks and challenges that came her way, and that she doesn’t conform to the expectations dictated by the society.
Heart admits, “Ever since the time that I would plan my life so perfectly and then things didn’t go my way, I actually just dropped the paper and just lived life a day at a time.
"Our priority is to live life to the fullest and not holding yourself back or letting anything stop you from what you’re meant to do and your purpose."
"I have so many dreams, so many dreams that I even feel are too huge for me but again, we’ll see. I’m just gonna continue doing what I’m doing and be myself, and hopefully, these things will happen.
“My priority is my family, and everything I’m doing like my career is also a priority. Our priority is to live life to the fullest and not holding yourself back or letting anything stop you from what you’re meant to do and your purpose,” she continues.
If there’s anything people can learn from the setups and setbacks in Heart's life, it is that surrendering may also mean winning.
While she's already content and grateful, Heart remains to be a dreamer, an unabashed pursuer of her passions.
She says, “I discovered that I’m very strong, definitely not a spoiled brat kasi hindi ko naman kinuwestiyon si Lord. Never naman ako nag-question kay God why something doesn’t happen. I always think that he’s saving you or saving that baby from something even worse so I just really, I really let him decide with my life. Hindi ako mapilit. Ayaw kong pinipilit ‘yung mga bagay.
She chooses to remain optimistic, as well.
“We’ll see what the future will hold. Actually, this is what I can say; hope, dream, and pray a lot, and accept what the universe will unfold for you because it’s gonna be great,” she says, her eyes lighting up, her lips forming into a smile.
Heart has submitted her heart’s desires, recognizing that everything had to happen to lead her to where she is supposed to be right now.
