Lorna turns a crisis into a blessing in disguise

Crisis, they say, can make or break you. In the case of Lorna Tolentino and family, the crisis over husband Rudy Fernandez’s illness failed to break her. In fact, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Instead of breaking them, the family turned the crisis around to their advantage. It cemented their ties and made them appreciate each other more.

Rudy himself says so. "It strengthened us," he relates. "Now, I realize how much my wife loves me. She never left my side except to go to Startalk (the GMA 7 showbiz-oriented show she hosts) since Day 1 of my illness."

Lorna the mother saw the changes in her sons, Renz and Rap Rap.

"They now appreciate the time they spend with us. They stay at home if they have nothing else to do. And when they have to go out, they make it a point to tell us where they will go," she reports.

Twenty-three years after she married Rudy, Lorna has avoided the usual traps wives fall into, like jealousy that leads to nagging.

She trusts Rudy so much "I don’t even check his cellphone." This way, says Lorna, he gets his privacy and all-important freedom.

But she does let him know when she’s angry. And when she does, Lorna prefers the subtle treatment. She doesn’t lash out at Rudy and make him feel like he’s the dumbest person in earth.

"I’d rather talk in riddles and I hope he gets the message," she reveals her style as a wife.

Competition – or who gets more assignments – has never been an issue between her and Rudy. Whoever is getting perks in his/her career helps the other. No nagging, no fault-finding.

"Whoever is busier helps the other. Like now, Rudy is back on TV in Linlang (episode title of GMA 7’s Now and Forever Season 6, which premieres tomorrow). He plays my ex-boyfriend," says Lorna.

Rudy is excited over the project, his second drama series after Twin Hearts. And he hasn’t looked any better. Rudy has regained much of the 16 pounds he lost when he got sick many months back.

Lorna may not say it. But it shows how well she takes care of her man.

"I’m very family-oriented," she says. Sundays are strictly for Rudy and their sons. The guys go boxing while she plays a round of badminton. At the end of the day, they have a lot of stories to tell one another.

But no matter how family-oriented she is, Lorna won’t stick to a doomed marriage.

"If it’s harming you and the children, you have to let go. Move on. It’s not only the wife who must work on the marriage. The husband must do his share. It takes two to tango," she points out.

As his second mother, Lorna will give this advice to Mark Anthony Fernandez, Rudy’s son by Alma Moreno, when he marries his non-showbiz girlfriend on Sept. 24.

The occasion will be another chance to show everyone how solid a family Lorna, Rudy and their sons have turned out to be.

Meanwhile, the Forever Flawless endorser is looking forward to a movie with Seiko Films, whose owner, Robbie Tan, sent her a text message saying he will cast her in one of his projects.

If and when, this will mark Lorna’s comeback in a field where she has won awards since she was that tall.

After all, even if she and Rudy have businesses (Crystal Clear, a 7 11 outlet, a bakery, properties for rent), Lorna will always return to her first love: acting.

No wonder she is still very much around, even when younger performers (like Alessandra da Rossi, Diana Zubiri, Polo Ravales, Chynna Ortaleza and Dion Ignacio, her co-stars in Linlang) have taken over our TV screens.