After divorce, Carla Abellana finds healing and love in quiet remarriage

Carla Abellana became the talk of the town at the tail end of 2025 after quietly marrying her high school sweetheart, Dr. Reginald “Redge” Santos.

In an interview on “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” a few weeks after the wedding, the Kapuso star said she remains on a high.

The wedding quickly earned the label “plot twist of 2025,” as their relationship — including the planning and ceremony — unfolded almost entirely away from the public eye.

That, Carla explained to Jessica Soho, was a conscious decision rooted in respect for her husband’s privacy.

“Siguro kasi po ‘yung aking husband, very private person… kahit ‘yung wedding planning, wala po akong pinost,” she said, adding that it was also a personal choice after years of living through highly publicized moments.

[“My husband is a very private person. I didn't post anything even when we were planning the wedding.”]

“And parang honestly… this time around sabi ko, parang mas gusto kong protektahan po talaga ‘yung privacy.”

[“Honestly, this time around, I told myself that I really want to protect our privacy more.”]
 

Healing after divorce

Before marrying Reginald, Carla was married to actor Tom Rodriguez. Their marriage eventually ended in divorce, which was possible for them because Tom is a U.S. citizen. Their divorce was granted abroad, and later recognized under Philippine law.

The court also granted their petition allowing her to remarry civilly, though not in the Catholic Church.

“So, civilly na lang po at least, puwede pong mag-remarry. Sa law na lang po,” Carla said.

[“So, at least civilly, one can remarry.”]

The collapse of her marriage is a chapter she described as "the darkest, most difficult" of her life, leading her to become guarded.

“Tapos, hindi po nakatulong na it's so publicized kasi ang hirap na nga po nang may pinagdadaanan ka 'yung gano'n ka-sensitive, ka-personal, kasama, or kalala,” Carla said.

["It also didn't help that it was so public, it’s just so hard when what you're going through is that sensitive, that personal, and that severe."]

“Parang as much as you want to keep it private, unfortunately, pareho po kaming celebrity so talagang people blow up whatever information they get,” she added.

[“As much as you want to keep it private, unfortunately, we are both celebrities so people really exaggerate whatever information they get.”]

Despite the pain, Carla said she has reached a point where she can now speak about it with more ease. 

“Painful pa rin naman po siya but at least I'm able to more comfortably talk about it.”

[“It is still painful, but at least I can talk about it more comfortably.”]

Carla described Reginald as someone who allowed her to open up at her own pace. “So, ano po siya, listener po siya… buhos mo lang kung ano man.”

[“He’s the type who just listens… you can just vent everything to him.”]

Learning to love again

Carla credited Reginald for helping her trust and believe in love again — something she once thought she would never do.

In a previous interview with Boy Abunda, she said she no longer saw herself remarrying. That mindset eventually changed through time and healing.

And with Reginald, she added, the idea of a second chance no longer felt impossible.

“You can love again, you can open your heart again, and even consider getting married again.”

A love story revisited

Reginald was Carla’s first love and first boyfriend. They met in high school, when she was a freshman and he was a senior, and dated for about two years.

She fondly recalled their “puppy love” phase — chocolates, dates, and a memorable graduation ball invitation — and said their breakup back then was driven by Reginald’s decision to focus on medical school.

“So siyempre ako, I'm very young po, high school. Nasaktan po ako doon. But syempre naiintindihan ko po 'yun." Carla said.

[“I was very young then, just in high school. I was hurt [by his decision]. But I understood it eventually.”]

Although they went their separate ways and lost touch, fate brought them back together more than two decades later. A couple years ago, they reconnected online after Reginald greeted her during the holidays.

When they finally met again in person, Carla said the familiarity was instant.

“Parang walang nagbago. Parang we're back in high school,” she said, adding that despite Reginald’s now more formal demeanor as a doctor, it was as if no time had passed. There was no awkwardness and nervousness.

[“It feels as if nothing has changed, it’s like we’re back in high school.”]

As they got to know each other again, Carla realized how similar their past relationship experiences had been.

“Parang parallel lives po… both ended abruptly,” she said.

[“Like parallel lives… both ended abruptly.”]

Even now, after getting married, the two still marvel at how their story came full circle. Carla described their journey as something that unfolded naturally.

“’Yung timing, tama. ‘Yung tao, tama. Siya lang po talaga yung makakabuo ng ganu’ng kuwento. Everything just fell into place… after over 20 plus years, kami pa rin po pala ‘yung meant for each other,” she added.

[The timing was right. The person was right. He’s truly the only one who could complete that kind of story... Everything just fell into place, after over 20 plus years, it turns out we were meant for each other after all.”]

A wedding rooted in simplicity

Following her divorce, Carla and Reginald opted for a civil wedding and have no plans for a church ceremony.

“As long as we are legally married, that's more than enough,” she said, adding that she has already experienced a church wedding — both in real life and countless times through her acting roles.

Carla described the ceremony, officiated by the mayor of Alfonso, Cavite, as solemn and romantic, set in a garden with symbolic elements such as the unity candle, cord, and veil.

Reflecting on the difference between her past and present, Carla said this time made her think, "This is the real deal."

Looking back, Carla said she is thankful for what she went through.

“Lahat ‘yun nangyari at kinailangan po namin pagdaanan on our own separately para makaabot po kami dito. So, part po ‘yun ng divine plan ni Lord,” she said. “So, kung may binago man po tayo du’n, may iniba po tayo du’n, baka hindi po ganito ‘yung kalabasan in the end.”

[“All those things happened and we had to go through them to get here. It’s part of God's divine plan. If we changed anything, the ending might not have turned out this way.”]

Egg freezing and future plans

In 2024, Carla revealed that she underwent an egg freezing procedure, citing her age and desire to keep her options open.

At the time, she was not yet engaged, and the initial results were not ideal.

“Hindi po gano’n kaganda ‘yung nakuhang eggs… so looking forward po ako na mag-try po ulit,” she said.

[“The eggs we retrieved weren't that good… so I’m looking forward to trying again.”]

Carla explained that the decision was driven by her hope of becoming a mother someday. She also addressed the judgment she received, particularly from a faith-based perspective.

"It's not replacing our Catholic faith naman," she said. "But it's just giving us another option po na it's giving hope to a lot of women, a lot of married couples na whether hindi po sila mabuntis or what, hirap po silang magbuntis.”

[“It’s not replacing our Catholic faith. But it’s just giving us another option that is giving hope to a lot of women and married couples, whether they can’t get pregnant or are struggling to conceive.”] —JCB, GMA Integrated News