Daniel Padilla has been vocal about his desire to settle down around the age of 30. And by now, you already know that he is in a relationship with Kathryn Bernardo whom he referred to as “my anchor, the love of my life.”
The actor, 26, knows compatibility and understanding are of paramount importance in every relationship and Daniel feels fortunate to have found his partner in Kathryn.
“Yes, it’s a beautiful relationship. Ako kasi with her family, and si Mama kay Kathryn, we are both taken care of. They nurture us. They teach us how to be ready. That, for me, is very healthy because I’m a guy na medyo makulit, a bit scared sometimes but I feel okay because of them.”
The two have been together for nine years now and Daniel believes one of the secrets to having a smooth-sailing relationship is giving each other “me time.”
“I’m no expert. I can say that she’s the love of my life. (But) I think, we just give each other time. Like me, I just came from Boracay with my friends and sibling. I think that’s it, we just give ourselves some time na ‘wag natin sakalin ang mga sarili natin.”
During our recent conversation on the Batalk Channel’s The Purple Chair Interview, I asked Daniel about the advantages of a long, pre-marriage relationship. His response was heartfelt. “In work, we are together and then after work, we’re still together. What is beautiful about it is I’m always excited to see Kathryn kasi ano ‘yan, ito tawag ko dito ay, I’m a ship and she’s my anchor. The reason why I’m steady is because Kathryn is there with me. That’s how our relationship works. I love her and I need her.”
Challenges, no doubt, are inevitable in any relationship. Daniel admitted he made a mistake in the past. Kathryn forgave him, he stressed. “I did something wrong. I was a kid. I was stupid. And still, she accepted me wholeheartedly.”
It’s not hard to understand if all the women out there would sigh in admiration of his idea of fatherhood.
“When the time comes that I become a father, I will not put too much pressure on my child. ’Pag babae, magiging prinsesa ko ‘yun, kung paano ko inaalagaan si Kathryn at ‘yung mga kapatid ko. In terms, of (pursuing) dreams, yeah, I’ll let them fly,” shared Daniel.
Interestingly, Daniel expressed his thoughts on life and love with gusto. Find out more in these excerpts from the interview.
At 26, did you go through a quarter-life crisis?
“Yeah, of course but still, I’m not sure if that was it. ‘Yung pag-a-artista, I’m blessed in that aspect. Thank you very much and Kathryn, she’s very blessed (in her career) because she’s more focused. Unlike me, the April-type, the toro, oh my God, hahaha.”
Would you rather be able to control time or be able to know what other people are thinking?
“To control time; time travel because one evening, Kathryn and I talked about superpowers. I asked her if she would like to know what other people are thinking. I told her that she cannot take it. We couldn’t take what’s on social media, so how much more are the thoughts of other people or what are they thinking about?”
What question bothers you the most?
“Questions that are too difficult to answer because you feel there is no essence in them and you do not know where these questions are leading to.”
When do you feel sexiest?
“Maybe when I’m wearing a coat. Hahaha!”
Don’t you have a plan on joining politics?
“Oh my God, I don’t think I can. Hindi ko kaya makisabay na ‘pag may isang tao ang bumitaw at gustong marinig, marami ka masyadong kalaban.”
In a relationship, what is worse than betrayal?
“For the one you love to leave you. I surely couldn’t take that. If betrayal happens, that’s okay because it’s part of life, it’s part of a relationship. But when you lose someone, that would be really painful kasi hindi mo na kayang ibalik.”
How do you and Kathryn excite each other?
“Simple, we travel. Pag nagtra-travel kami before and it’s just the two of us, iba ‘yung… ‘oh my God kaya na nating dalawa.’ Growth pa rin nung relationship. Now tinuturuan namin ang isa’t-isa dahil malapit na, ilan taon na rin kami. In the future, pag-dating ng panahon s’yempre mag-sasama na talaga kami. We are preparing ourselves.”
Who’s the more jealous type?
“Both of us. But I don’t get jealous with Kathryn because I know guys are not appealing to her. ‘Pag ako nag-selos, dun ako bad trip kung sino lumalapit sa kanya. I’ll talk to the guy na, ‘Hey man, it’s too much.’ Kathryn, on the other hand, would get mad at me, hahaha! Because sometimes I’m too much of a gentleman. It doesn’t mean anything to me…siya lang. Parang cute lang naman Tito Boy.”
How are you as a brother?
“Perhaps, my siblings are lucky to have me as their brother, hahaha! Do I spoil them? No, we’re different. Like in The Goodfellas, maybe ako sa mga kapatid…kasi we have two sisters. Me and then JC, one year lang (age gap). Probably I’m (Robert) De Niro and JC is Joe Pesci so now my siblings are in the age na… Magui is 19 or 20 years old already. Dalaga na, so she’s in this stage where there are suitors and JC is like, ‘O, ‘pag may nanligaw sa ‘yo,’ ganyan. But I’m not like that. I’m more on, like, I’ll talk to the guy. I’m very lucky, they’re very beautiful human beings.”
James Reid and Enrique Gil, who’s closer to you?
“We’re happy to see each other. I am closer to Quen. We worked together in my first TV series, Princess and I, and I love that guy kasi sobrang gina-guide n’ya ko. With James, we jibe and we always talk about music.”
What’s the most childish thing you still love to do?
“To go biking, perhaps. I hope we can have beautiful bike lanes. Please, fix our bike lanes because it’s too… sa Circle pa lang, it’s a death wish, my God, it’s frightening. These days, there are so many people who use bicycles to go to work and that’s good.”
What’s the best thing about being 26?
“I feel like I’m still 23, hahaha!”
Are you a 26-too-young-to-get-married?
“Yes, because I’m still stupid.”
In your 26 years, what’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen and with whom?
“Iceland with Kathryn. We saw the Northern Lights. Iba yun, it’s beyond human for me, parang it’s too much. And also, Palawan. It’s so beautiful. The last frontier. Ako, dun ako magre-retire.”
Kath is neat, organized and punctual — what do you dislike about her?
“Kathryn is organized and I am an OC (obsessive-compulsive). For example, I go home and I have dogs. I don’t want to smell their…I love aromatherapy. It sets my mood. Sa mga bagay, ayoko ng magulo ang mga gamit ko.”
What have you become because of Kath?
“I’ve become more responsible in terms of money, uhm, future planning.”
Do you and Kath fight?
“Yeah. It’s not always happiness and flowers. Small things like misunderstandings or sometimes I have plans different from hers, and then she doesn’t want to listen to me anymore. But unlike before na pikon na pikon na kami, now, we just let it pass, and me, I just keep quiet.”
DJ, how serious are you talking about marriage?
“It’s a must, Tito Boy, that before we can live together, we have to get married first. Yung ang usapan namin and, of course, our respective parents do not want to let us go yet.”
Are we talking about three, four years from now?
“(I’m) 26.”
Four, five years.
“Yeah, that’s why we have to learn now.”
Do you have insecurities? Doubts?
“None. I embrace my imperfections.”