Danica comforts Mariel

MANILA, Philippines - Danica Sotto-Pingris offered comfort to her Happy Wife, Happy Life co-host Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla, who’s on leave from their daily TV5 show after she suffered her second miscarriage. 

Danica, who just came back from a vacation, hasn’t been able yet to personally see Mariel, but they have already communicated through text.

“Before the miscarriage, I asked her if I could visit her, because she was already (on) bed rest from the onset. Sabi nga niya, wag nalang muna kasi bed rest talaga siya, so I said, when you’re OK (we will visit)... But we already sent text messages comforting her because we have a Viber group for Happy Wife, Happy Life. I want her to know that we’re really praying for her,” Danica told The STAR during an interview.

Danica said she cannot imagine the pain Mariel, who was supposed to have triplets, is going through. “I’ve been trying to get pregnant again also,” the mother-of-two revealed, “and we have failed after several attempts already. Yun pa nga lang nalulungkot na ako, paano pa kaya yung na buo na tapos nag-miscarriage pa? You know, sometimes, there are things that are really hard to explain but when things like that happen, when you feel like all’s lost, you just have to trust God. You need God to lift you up because you can’t rely on human strength alone; you need supernatural grace to handle things like that.”

Meanwhile, Danica was asked how she’s able to sustain a happy married life with cager Marc Pingris; it’s no secret showbiz is filled with examples of broken marriages, including that of her own parents. She shared, “It’s just the same. Just because we’re in this business, it doesn’t mean our problems are different from couples not from showbiz. The only difference is that sometimes we’re being put under a magnifying glass and everyone is watching,” so much so that even very personal experiences that should have been kept out of the public eye could be brought out into the open.

Danica said that they have come to understand that these things come with the territory and that they just have to get used to it.

Nevertheless, the fact that she and Marc are one of the celebrity couples being looked up to does put some pressure. When people would post positive comments on her Instagram, she would respond, “Thank you for your kind words but we’re very far from being perfect. It’s just by the grace of God and the people around us who help us go through the daily challenges of being a couple.” 

Danica’s father Vic Sotto is rumored to take the plunge and marry again soon (within the year, the tabloids say). Asked for a reaction if this was true and that her father has asked the permission of the children, she said, “I’ll just cross the bridge when I get there. Di mo naman siya pwedeng pigilan and at the same time, you can’t also push it. If they will really get married, they have to do it for the right reasons, and sana napag-isipan nila ng mabuti and sana may clear answer sila from God na ito ang dapat nilang tahakin, parang ganun. But of course, as his children, whatever his decision is, I will give him my respect.”

She added, “What I’ve noticed is that he’s very serious about his relationship with Pauleen (Luna) and I’ve been very open to him that hindi naman ganun (kadali) because of the age gap. But then who am I to judge that it’s not going to work because of the age gap? I’ve said my piece, I’ve really told my dad and Pauleen all my concerns, I’ve been very transparent with them, so the rest is up to them. (But I pray) that they do it for the right reasons, and as long as they’re happy and won’t step on other people’s toes.”

(Airing Mondays to Fridays at 10 a.m. on TV5, Happy Wife, Happy Life is also hosted by LJ Moreno-Alapag and Gelli de Belen, who is pitching in for Mariel.)