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By AYA TANTIANGCO, GMA News
December 13, 2018
KYLIE PADILLA WAS EVERY BIT THE SANG'GRE as she walked down the aisle, each step closer to her prince. Every element, from the lighting to the flowers, made the moment look perfect.
It's a fairytale moment, that ever-elusive happy ending. Kylie is over the moon with delight about her wedding, but she knows it's only a start. Not of ever after, necessarily, but of keeping a promise.
“Sa vows ko kasi, sabi ko gusto ko alagaan natin ‘to," Kylie tells reporters from GMA Network in an interview just days after her wedding, “Kahit pagod tayo, kahit anong mangyari, kahit mag-away tayo... aayusin natin, whatever happens. Kasi ‘yon naman talaga ‘yong heart ng marriage. It’s not going to be easy.
“'Yung happily ever after na sinasabi sa atin... on the day (of the wedding) it is. But ‘Until we get old, we'll be together forever,’ nakakatakot ‘yon ah. Pero ‘yon ang sinabi ko sa kaniya. Aalagaan natin, whatever happens.”
THE BEGINNING OF KYLIE’S ROMANCE with Aljur was at once mundane and charming.
The pair met at a Wushu workshop, with a little nudge from fellow actor Rita Daniela. Kylie freely confesses that she immediately noticed Aljur — tall, dark, handsome does catch the eye easily. “Napansin ko na rin siya agad, sabi ko ‘pogi... cute.’ Hindi ko alam na medyo [sikat] na siya.”
Their interaction was minimal, but during the rest period, Rita went over to introduce herself to the pair and a bit of conversation began.
“No’ng natapos na ‘yong workshop, nakuwento ko yata (kay Aljur) na magpupunta akong Australia for the New Year,” Kylie recalls.
“Tapos sabi niya, ang landi, ‘Uwian mo ako ng crocodile.’ Sabi ko, ‘Koala na lang, mas maliit ‘yon, madadala ko.’”
The vaguely flirty exchange didn't materialize into date just yet. They remained strangers, although Kylie said that she couldn't quite forget the cute guy from the workshop.
“Ang nakakatawa pa niyan, the next year, nag-search ako. Kasi hindi ko siya makalimutan, crush ko na siya. [I searched] Aljur Abrenica on the Internet.
“Tapos may interview siya do’n. May isang question, sino ‘yong gusto mong makatrabaho. Hindi pa ako nag-aartista no’n, pero ang sabi niya ‘Cristine Reyes, Marian Rivera, and Kylie Padilla.’
“Wow! Talon ako nang talon no’n. Sabi ko, ‘Oh my God, crush din ako ng crush ko!’”
Despite this revelation, there was still radio silence between Kylie and Aljur. It was the people around them who talked about their mutual interest in each other, feeling keeling among themselves.
As a giddy teenager, Kylie let her imagination run wild when she saw Aljur’s billboard for “Machete” while walking around the GMA compound.
Without knowing how she was going to make it happen, Kylie told the man on the billboard, “Magiging akin ka!”
The statement would come true before long.
KYLIE AND ALJUR GOT TOGETHER, only to have a very public breakup in 2014, just a year after they confirmed their relationship. A co-star was tagged as a reason for the split, but Kylie adamantly denied the rumors.
“Nagalit ako kasi lahat ng effort na ginawa namin, nasira for something na hindi naman totoo…Bakit kailangan ganu’n ‘yung mangyari? Nasayang sa walang kwentang dahilan,” Kylie said at the time in an interview on the GMA-7 showbiz program Startalk.
Aljur was also linked to another actor. Kylie's mother Liezl Sicangco was reportedly furious about the alleged infidelity and warned her about getting back together with a “cheater.”
“‘Yung pinaka-nag-react ang nanay ko. Siya talaga ang nagsabi na, ‘Anak, ‘pag ginawa niya sa ‘yo mauulit at mauulit lang ‘yan.’ Masakit marinig yun kasi siyempre naghu-hope ka pa rin. Pero siguro tama nga siya,” she said in the Startalk interview.
The breakup created a rift between Aljur and Kylie’s family and a reconciliation didn't feel like an option at the time. The parallel to “Romeo and Juliet” did not escape Kylie.
“My family didn’t want me to be with him anymore. May gano’n kaming pinagdaanan. Medyo mahirap talaga,” Kylie says.
SURPRISINGLY, THE BREAKUP CREATED a solid foundation of friendship between the pair. There was always that feeling that they were always going to be in each other’s orbit.
“Alam ko naman na sa kaniya pa rin ako... I’ll still be with him,” Kylie says.
When asked where this certainty comes from, she gives a candid yet articulate response.
“There’s something kasi na... kasi no’ng nagkahiwalay kami, tinatawagan ko pa rin siya. And I want to tell him everything. Tapos siya pa ‘yong nagbibigay ng advice sa akin when I was with other people,” she says with a hearty laugh.
“That’s weird, but that’s a friendship that... hindi mo magigiba ‘yong friendship na gano’n. I don’t have that friendship with anybody else. Sa kaniya ko lang nahanap ‘yon.”
By late 2016, the couple had begun sharing photos from their trips together. Eventually, they confirmed that they were back together. Shortly after, news of their engagement and Kylie’s pregnancy shocked fans.
Baby Alas was a happy surprise to the couple, and that’s how they’ve always treated their son — as a blessing.
KYLIE AND ALJUR SAILED PAST the tumultuous years together, fortunately avoiding the tragic fate that befell the Shakespearean couple. The narrative was a little messy, but Kylie says their marriage does not wipe the slate clean.
What happened in the past happened and it now serves as a guide to their future. “It wasn't easy. Ang sarap niyang ikuwento ngayon pero no'ng nando'n kami, sobrang hirap niya,” she says.
Kylie says she really doesn't believe in second chances just for the sake of it, and she doesn't want people to think, “Si Kylie bumalik sa ex, babalik din ako!”
“Hindi gano’n. You have to find that the right person talaga and take care of each other kahit nagkahiwalay kayo. You find the right person na ma-go-grow kayo at kaibigan mo no matter what happens, ‘di ba?”
They’ve only been married for a few days, but with all that they've been through in eight years, Kylie has grown to appreciate the stability they’ve built together.
“I feel like now that we’re married, parang buo na. I don’t have to think about fixing it or making it legal or what my parents think or what people think. Now that we’re married, OK na ‘yon and we’ll work on it forever,” she says.
Going against the common notion that marriage is about settling down, Kylie feels like it frees her to focus on other aspects of her life. She's looking forward to exploring new projects and turning her attention to her work.
In his vows, Aljur expressed his support for Kylie's plans for herself.
“May sinabi siya na, ‘Huwag mong kakalimutan ‘yong sarili mo’ and that was a big thing for me. I was... basta, it was very important to me na naisip niya ‘yon. Kasi as a woman, you’re [expected] to submit, right? Pero he gave me that na, ‘Don’t forget yourself’ which is... thank you for thinking of me. He’s giving me the chance to be myself talaga.”
A WEDDING AS MAGICAL AS THEIRS, planned in only three weeks, is certainly a feat, but it's nothing compared to everything else. It's just a day. They’re thinking in terms of forever.
There were only 17 guests at the wedding. Kylie says they had only planned on sharing the news a day after the ceremonies. But it wasn’t like she could stop her father, Robin Padilla, from taking to social media to celebrate the happy occasion.
It was a beautifully intimate affair between two people whose lives have been judged, at times quite harshly, by the public. Any hesitation felt about going public as a married couple is understandable.
“Actually, I was scared kasi na... I felt like everybody knew our love story. I felt like I shouldn’t have shared so much kasi no’ng bata ako siyempre medyo careless ako. So after the breakup, I held myself back... kasi I didn’t want to be just known for my relationship. There’s a woman behind just being in love, ‘di ba,” Kylie says.
“But now, gusto ko talagang i-celebrate kasi it’s a good thing to be married. It’s a good thing to be in love. Everybody wants to be in love and be loved. So I’m letting myself go now to share... kasi masaya talaga ako.”
With her feet firmly planted on the ground, Kylie was the first to burst into laughter at everything she has said so far.
“Shet, sana hindi kami maghiwalay, kasi kung maghihiwalay kami, lahat ‘to, [naka-record]!”
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