The second Time around
Fair Fortune Now in her sixties, Tetta keeps herself busy with her real-estate business, travelling (she has homes in several European countries), rally racing, and spending time with her husband, French businessman Christian Baverey, and, when schedules permit, her only daughter Tosca, a lawyer based in Brazil. Ever enterprising, she has several projects in the pipeline; a list that includes the construction of an event hall in Tanauan, Batangas and a resort in San Vicente, Palawan.
“What’s tough about this kind of life is that people can be very envious of you to the point that they can attempt to smear your character,” says Tetta of being in the limelight. “Even after modelling, I was dismissed as being ‘too young’ or ‘too beautiful’ to go into business, so I had to defend myself. Thankfully, I had friends who looked after me and helped me secure jobs.”
She credits her success to her ability to focus and her determination to stay true to herself. “Aspiring models should embrace the same philosophy—they must be natural, they must be themselves. I notice that some try too hard,” she reflects. “That was never the case with me. Sometimes, I would even forget I was a top model. I’m still the little girl happily playing tumbang preso on the streets.”
Christian and Tetta Agustin-Baverey pose with some of their treasures. The Louis XV chest was inherited from Christian’s father, while the Baccarat vases are one of only two pairs in the world. The gold clock was purchased by Christian. Christian, now her husband, was one of Tetta’s many suitors during her modelling days. They moved in the same social circles and their paths would often cross. The pair dated for awhile, but parted ways for 20 long years. Tetta recalls, “We would see each other about once or twice a year, but only as friends, in social gatherings at St Tropez.”