WHEN MOTHERHOOD TAKES OVER STARDOM
Motherhood knocks at an unexpected time in an unexpected way — this is the attitude of famous celebrities take as they face their unexpected pregnancies when they are at the peak of their careers and choose to play the most-challenging real-life role of becoming a mom.
For Angelu de Leon, 1998 was a life changing year. This was the time she got pregnant with her first child by Joko Diaz. The actress has said in interviews that she will always choose her kid and being a mother to them.
“My two kids are products of love, not lust,” said Angelu, “so I don’t treat them as ‘mistakes.’ The tragedy perhaps is that my two kids’ fathers didn’t love me as much as I love(d) them,” adding with a friendly reminder, “If young people don’t learn from what I did, they might commit the same ‘indiscretion’ and they might not be able to handle the consequences the way that I do. Hindi madali ang pinagdaanan ko baka hindi nila alam, so they should be careful (what I’ve gone through is not easy, in case they didn’t know).”
It’s almost the same case with Janella Salvador, the year 2021 when she had her first baby. Her showbiz career was in full swing during that time when motherhood came along.
“At my age it was kinda scary. I had to think about so many things. How am I gonna tell everyone? Of course, it’s not easy, especially at my age there’s a lot of harsh criticism,” the 23-year old actress said on Slater Young and Kryz Uy’s “Skypodcast.”
“I didn’t want the stress,” she said. “I needed the peace and quiet to have a happy pregnancy. We wanted to enjoy it as a family.”
For Jennylyn Mercado, going through pregnancy twice and sacrificing a successful career in exchange for motherhood is the story. Her first born Alex Jazz (by Patrick Garcia) is turning 16 yearsold this year, and her second child (by husband Dennis Trillo) was born in 2022.
Now, Jennylyn is well-adjusted with her life as a mother of two and an actress for film and teleseryes.
“Ang schedule namin kailangan alternate — so pag may work si Dennis, dapat ako ‘yung nasa bahay, pag may work naman ako, dapat si Dennis naman nasa bahay. Hindi pwedeng naiiwan si Dylan mag-isa kasi naghahanap talaga siya (Dennis and I work on a schedule that one of us must be at home to take care of our baby),” she said.
It was way back 1989 when Lotlot de Leon got pregnant by then boyfriend Ramon Christopher, who later married her and started their family, and got separated after 13 years of marriage.
Lotlot has this message for her children (Janine, Diego, Maxine and Jessica).
“I will always pray for my children to be with the right partners, ‘yung tama ‘yung maging choice nila (that they make the right choices),” she shared.
As a mother, the 53 year old actress has painted a colorful story.
“I enjoy being a mother. Every year that passes, I see my kids mature, which makes me feel that I’m doing something right. What’s important is for them to be happy — and become good human beings! My Mama (Nora Aunor) taught me to be a good mom. I come from a traditional family — there were a lot of rules, even superstitions. Mama allowed me to make my own decisions, so I would know right from wrong!” she revealed.
Unexpected pregnancies may take away a lot of opportunities, but the gift of Motherhood changed these three artists for the best.