'Life is still beautiful'

SHE MAKES a living out of making people laugh. But behind her cheerful expression and snappy one-liners, few people would guess that Candy Pangilinan has been going through some tough times.

By Aprylle Liabres (Contributor)

Published: Sat 24 Mar 2007, 10:44 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 8:46 PM

A single parent to three-year-old Quentin, Candy has been battling court cases stemming from a business transaction entered into by her estranged husband. As his spouse, she signed some of the documents, and so was named a respondent. The cases are currently pending in court—which means the details cannot be discussed in the media—but the stress is enough to make anyone buckle. Not Candy, though. Her being a comedienne probably helps. “Sure, because it teaches you how to find the humor in even the worst situations,” says Candy, who will be starring in the return engagement of Rock Da Vote produced by ASAP Live this April at the Music Museum.

Candy had an annulment case pending, but that had to give way to the court cases she is currently facing.

Despite all this, there are several things to be thankful for, says Candy. For one, there’s her new figure. At her heaviest—which was when she was pregnant with Quentin—she weighed 184 pounds. After her son was born, her weight dropped by only eight pounds.

The rest of the weight, she had to lose on her own. She did that by starting an exercise program that combines walking and running. She jogs at the Academic Oval of the University of the Philippines regularly. She also went on a diet. The rest was a result of stress and work. “Now, I only weigh 110 pounds. I lost a total of about 70 pounds over a three-year period,” says the 5’2” Candy, who showed up for the Rock Da Vote press conference wearing a tight pair of shorts and a white blouse that showed off her figure to best advantage.

Candy is also in the cast of the forthcoming ABS-CBN teleserye Walang Kapalit, starring Piolo Pascual and Claudine Barretto, aside from being part of Rock Da Vote 2007. “I really have a lot to be thankful for. Life is still beautiful,” says Candy.