A new love for Abby Cruz

BEAUTY QUEEN-TURNED-ACTRESS Abby Cruz says that the 10-year age gap between her and boyfriend Paolo Bediones isn’t causing a problem in their five month old relationship.

By Aprylle Liabres (Contributor)

Published: Mon 29 Oct 2007, 10:43 AM

Last updated: Wed 24 Jul 2024, 3:17 PM

This was shared by the 2007 Binibining Pilipinas second runner-up during an exclusive interview at the opening of the new Levi’s store at the TriNoma mall in Quezon City, where she was one of the models. According to Abby, she wasn’t that surprised when Paolo brought their relationship out into the open during the press conference for his new GMA-7 game show Whammy (Push Your Luck), which he hosts with comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto. Now, with Paolo’s announcement, Abby’s relatively quiet life has turned upside-down, with the press wanting to know everything about them.

When Paolo made his surprise announcement during the press conference, it actually had Abby’s stamp of approval. “I told him, ‘It’s all up to you,’ “ says Abby. “We’re both tired from [previous] relationships. When I got into this, I said, ‘If I’m just going to be hidden from the public, never mind’. In a way, it was a relief that he said what he did when he did. It sort of took the pressure off both of us.”

Abby and Paolo met when the latter hosted the Binibining Pilipinas 2007 pageant, where Abby was a candidate. At the time, Abby was seeing someone, so sparks didn’t fly. Later, after Abby emerged Binibining Pilipinas second runner-up and started an acting career after being offered a role as the bride of Richard Gutierrez on Lupin, they met again at the shoot for the new station ID of GMA-7. It so happened that Abby had ended her existing relationship after the guy she was seeing left for the US, leaving the way clear for Paolo to pursue her, which he did, although he did it subtly. “He really pursued me; he courted me,” says Abby in a way that leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind as to Paolo’s intentions.

During the station ID shoot, Paolo came up to her and made small talk. “He said ‘Hi Abby, it’s nice to see you’ and told me he’d added me to his list of contacts on Friendster,” she recalls. A second meeting came when the Lupin cast guested on GMA-7’s now defunct showbiz talk show S-Files, which Paolo hosted. They chatted for a bit and exchanged numbers.