Alice: I’ve loved, lost & learned

MANILA, Philippines - Alice Dixson can very well relate to her character in When The Love is Gone because she has “loved and lost.”

Alice is Audrey, who is fighting to save her troubled marriage for the sake of her daughter’s happiness, in the Viva Films retitled remake of Nagalit ang Buwan sa Haba ng Gabi, the 1983 blockbuster melodrama directed by Danny Zialcita. Opening in theaters on Nov. 27, When The Love is Gone, which also stars Gabby Concepcion, Cristine Reyes, Andi Eigenmann and Jake Cuenca and is helmed by direk Andoy Ranay, explores the many shades of love, whether “lost, gained, betrayed or unbound.”

It’s no secret that Alice’s real-life 13-year marriage (which had her living abroad and leaving showbiz for some time) came to an end this year reportedly due to “irreconcilable differences.” They were childless.

Though she admitted that the separation was “such a lonely time for me back then,” she would rather not dwell on “what-went-wrong” or “what-could-have-been” but focus instead her energies on coping, healing and learning from that episode in her life.

Alice told The STAR, “Anybody copes differently. With me, it was my family (that helped me cope) and my personal beliefs that things will be better. I’ve always had a positive outlook that no matter what bad things happen in our lives. Like the song of Adele, ‘Sometimes it lasts, sometimes it hurts instead.’ It’s very true.”

But it doesn’t mean, she has healed completely. “Up to now, honestly, there are times when I still get sad. It’s been over a year now when we started discussing that maybe it’s not going to work, and then, it was in February this year that I got a divorce, so it’s still fresh, but hindi ganun ka lalim ang sakit, but it’s there. For me, it will always be there. Like I remember the death of my father in 2006, there’s always that feeling of pain. There’s the sense of missing that person.”

Does she believe that to get over, she should get another (love)? “Not necessarily,” said Alice, “it would be nice though (laughs).”

The lessons, nevertheless, are aplenty. First, she said, is that “you can’t change anybody. Second, I learned to be selfless and to put someone else’s needs before mine. Third, I learned to be self-sufficient.”

Only time can tell if she’ll find a new love, or be in a relationship again, but for now, “I’ve learned that there’s so much more to life, so much more to learn, I’m taking all these opportunities, going out with my friends, and having more time for myself and my family. No, my ex-husband did not control or dictate what I can do or cannot do, we just had some issues we could not resolve.”

And work is keeping her super busy. “I’m booked with work for at least a year and a half,” said Alice who currently appears on TV5’s sexy drama For Love or For Money (airing primetime Thursdays) with Derek Ramsay.  

The former beauty queen and commercial model’s well-maintained beauty and sexiness haven’t escaped the attention of a men’s magazine (FHM?) wherein she will grace its  cover next month.

“How sexy did I go? Very! At first, I got scared but then when I saw how nice the photographs were, sabi ko, kaya ko pala to. It’s the sexiest cover I’ve ever done,” said Alice, still stunning at 44. 

They were able to convince her to do it because “it was more like it was time, I didn’t have inhibitions anymore. I’m very secure about myself and my body. It feels liberating!”

Asked what her beauty routine is, Alice shared, “Very simple actually. I try to sleep a lot. I stay clean, and I started eating healthier. When I was younger kasi, I ate a lot of fried, fatty and junk foods. I also do all kinds of exercise — running, gym, badminton.”

Told that she seemed to have gotten better with age, Alice said, “You know what, I have a renewed sense of who I am now. I’m independent, smart (laughs) and I have everything going for me, so, by the grace of God, I receive, I give back. I’m happy where I am.

“I do have issues (with aging), but we all get there, so I just try to age as gracefully as I can.”