Rita Daniela, Mclaude Guadaña share how their love story began

Rita Daniela and her boyfriend, Mclaude Guadaña, shared how their love story began.

During Monday’s episode of “Fast Talk With Boy Abunda,” the Kapuso star was asked by Tito Boy if Mclaude is already her boyfriend.

Rita smiled and replied, “Actually, Tito Boy, andito [Mclaude] siya. I think mas maganda kung siya ang sasagot.”

Moments later, Mclaude appeared on the set to join Rita and revealed that their connection started through a mutual friend, Saviour Ramos, the son of actor Wendell Ramos.

“Nakita ko lang siya [Mclaude] sa Instagram story niya [Saviour]. Sabi ko hala parang cute ‘to. So ako as a fierce woman finollow ko,” Rita happily shared. 

“Pero sa totoo lang, naglakas loob akong i-follow siya dahil mukha siyang suplado. Na parang, hindi ‘to nababakante. For sure may girlfriend ‘to, so OK lang,” she added.

According to Rita, it was she who made the first move on Maclaude shortly after the basketball player followed her back.

“So siyempre noong finollow back ako, gumalaw tayo agad. Ako ‘yung unang nagmessage,” the Sparkle star said. 

Her message? A simple emoji to which Mclaude replied with a simple “hi.” 

“The moment na nagmessage siya, [sabi ko] Oh hi miss Rita Daniela! ‘Yun ang unang message ko,” the Lyceum Pirates star said.

Rita shared that she decided to send Mclaude a simple emoji because she was not sure if he had a girlfriend at that time.

“Paano kung may girlfriend pala? Oh at least kung emoji lang, hindi masyadong magagalit,” the actress quipped, with Mclaude clarifying that he did not have a girlfriend at that time.

The simple reply sparked a series of conversations that went on for three straight days until Mclaude finally asked Rita out on a date.

“Sobrang ganda agad ng usap namin. As in, the moment na nagreply ako sa kaniya ng hi miss Rita parang nonstop na. Parang effortless eh. Lahat ng pinag-uusapan namin, straight to the point. Tuloy-tuloy ‘yung conversation eh,” Mclaude shared.

“Tatlong araw ang dami na agad naming pinag-usapan tapos he asked me out in a date,” she added.

The couple also recalled the time they became officially together, with Mclaude describing the moment as a scene straight out of a romantic film.

“Ang nangyari, habang hinahatid ko siya pauwi, so as in para kaming nasa movie. Parang dahan-dahan kong tinatabi ‘yung sasakyan, pag-stop ko dahan-dahan ‘yung seatbelt tumatanggal. Tinatanggal ko, dahan-dahan,” he recalled.

“Akala ko may plano. Tapos di nagsasalita. Sabi ko, what’s happening? Tapos nakatingin lang sa akin. Sabi ko, bakit hindi ka nagsasalita? Magsalita ka. Anong nangyayari? Wala pa rin siyang imik,” Rita added.

Suddenly, Mclaude held Rita’s face and asked if she could be his girlfriend.

Rita, who admitted she already knew she wanted to say yes, took a moment to reflect before giving her answer.

“Ipinaintindi ko lang sa kaniya ‘yung weight ng sagot ko, kasi of course I know I will say yes, it’s just that ang sabi ko hindi deserve ni Uno na makita akong umiiyak dahil lang sa isang lalaki,” Rita explained. 

“So ang dami, ang dami kong tinanong sa kaniya. Kung kaya ba talaga niya? Is he really sure about me? Then he asked again. [Sabi niya], wait, wait, I wanna ask again, can you be my girlfriend?” she shared. 

After a heartfelt conversation and a silent prayer, Rita finally gave her answer.

“Hawak-hawak ko ‘yung kamay niya. Humingi ako ng blessing kay God and sabi ko, ‘Yes, I can. I can be your girlfriend.’”

In a previous interview with Athena Imperial on "24 Oras," Rita said that she and Mclaude are “exclusively dating.” 

The two were spotted at Rita's 30th birthday party last month looking cozy and happy in each other's company. In the Instagram Reel that she posted about the event, he was among the handful that she tagged. 

It was Mclaude who accompanied Rita when she received the Best Actress award for her performance in “Madawag ang Landas Patungong Pag-asa” at Sinag Maynila 2025 in September. 

Rita is a single mom to a three-year-old boy, Uno. In an interview on "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda" in June 2023, Rita said she has parted ways with her non-showbiz partner, who is the father of Baby Uno.

According to Imperial's report, Mclaude and Uno have a good relationship.

Mclaude plays for the Lyceum Pirates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Philippines. He was also a Batang Gilas player who represented the Philippines at the 2018 FIBA Under 16 Asian Championship.

—Jade Veronique Yap/CDC, GMA Integrated News