Lella Ford reacts to 'nepo baby' label: 'Where's the lie?'

Lella Ford is unfazed being called a “nepo baby,” saying there is nothing wrong with acknowledging family connections as long as one works hard to build their own name.

The PBB Collab 2.0 Big Winner appeared on "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda" Wednesday with her mom, Karla Estrada, and began by saying she has grown accustomed to controversies and criticisms from an early age.

“Bata pa lang po ako, ang dami ko na pong naririnig na mga ganyan (Since I was a young child, I've heard similar criticisms),” Lella said, adding she had long been exposed to public scrutiny involving her mom, Karla, and her popular kuya, Daniel Padilla.

“Growing up, ang dami ko na pong naririnig na controversial things about my mom, about my brother. Sa akin po, mas mabigat po ‘yon kapag tungkol sa pamilya po ‘yon,” she said.

According to Lella, she chooses to focus only on meaningful criticism and to ignore comments meant solely to tear her down.

“Mas gusto ko pong bigyang pansin ang kailangang bigyang pansin. Kapag alam ko na gusto lang talagang manira or wala naman pong meaning ‘yung sinasabi nila, deadma,” she said.

[I prefer to give attention to things that deserve attention. When I know that they just want to drag my name, or they don't really make sense, I ignore.]

Lella does not deny the “nepo baby” label, saying “Totoo naman po. I mean, where’s the lie? It’s true and wala naman pong masama doon."

[It's true. Where is the lie? It's true and there's nothing bad about it.]

But Lella emphasized the label "nepo baby" only becomes negative if someone relies solely on family connections without putting in effort.

“Nagiging masama lang siya if you take advantage of it, if palamunin ka lang at wala kang ginagawa,” Lella said. “But ako po, I’m here because I’m making a name for myself. Pinaghihirapan ko lahat ng mayroon ako now.”

[It becomes wrong if you take advantage of it. If you're not exerting any effort. For me, I'm here because I'm making a name for myself. I worked hard for everything I have now.]

Meanwhile, Karla addressed her recent Facebook posts, where she called out bashers of her daughter, saying it was meant not only for her family but also for parents who have faced similar situations. 

“Mayroong isa na kailangan lang talagang palagan," Karla said. "Medyo hindi na kasi siya para sa amin lang. Parang feeling ko sa dami ng magulang na nakaranas ng mga ganoong experience, mga nawalan ng anak, medyo gusto kong ipa-ano."

“Parang hindi ko kayang ihingi ng pasensya ang ginawa kong pag-alma,” she added.

In the same interview, Karla also answered the allegations that she and Daniel spent money on Lella during the Big Night. 

“Effort naman ng buong pamilya, ng close friends. Normal lang naman sa pamilya na suportahan ang kamag-anak na sumasali sa mga ganyan,” she said, adding that they were surprised by the overwhelming support Lella received from the public.

[The whole family exerted effort, close friends exerted effort. It's normal for a family to support a relative joining such contests.]

"Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0" concluded on February 28 after a four-month run.

At the Big Night, Lella was named the Big Winner alongside Sparkle star Caprice Cayetano. — LA, GMA Integrated News