Elisse Joson on ‘battle scars,’ motherhood & McCoy de Leon

Fans were shocked and sad over the “breakup” of McLisse early this week. But prior to McCoy de Leon’s confirmation that he and partner Elisse Joson have gone on separate ways, the latter said that she felt that McCoy was the right guy for her and that she has envisioned herself in a simple wedding with the former.

During the contract signing event with the Cathy Valencia Advanced Skin Clinic at its BGC branch last Dec. 10 where Elisse is one of the endorsers, she was asked by select press members about their plans of tying the knot. She replied, “That is the goal, but of course, realistically we want to be more prepared. Kasi siyempre with the baby honestly, (we’re) not prepared.”

“So ngayon para mas maayos ang maging steps sa future. We have to prepare for something big like that. But that’s really where it will lead naman. Parang no pressure lang din to anybody,” she added.

When furthered if she saw McCoy as the right guy for her, she answered, “I don’t see anybody else.”

The Kapamilya actress’ supposed dream wedding with McCoy was a simple ceremony. “Hindi na ako nangangarap ng something bongga. I think what matters is yung kayong dalawa. The people that love you are there to support. Family is there to support. Yun lang parang simple wedding also is more meaningful nowadays,” she shared.

In a Dec. 19 Instagram post, McCoy uploaded a photo of him and his one-year-old daughter Felize with a caption that read, “Lagi mong tatandaan na mahal kita. Ikaw lang ang nakakaalam. Ikaw lang ang makakaintindi sa akin. Ikaw lang ang maaasahan ko. Ikaw lang ang rason kaya ako nabubuhay. Ikaw lang ang lahat lahat ko.

“Sana ‘pag tanda mo ‘wag magbago tingin kay daddy ha. Pasensya na kung hindi lang talaga nakaya ni daddy. Sana maikwento ko sayo pagtanda mo. Don’t worry masasaya naman ikukwento ko na may konting problema hehe para naman maintindihan mo si daddy,” the post said.

“Basta ha lagi kang nasa isip ni daddy pasensya na rin kung dito ko nailagay message ko. Hindi ko na alam paano kita makakausap eh,” he continued.

He concluded the post with, “’Wag bibigyan ng sakit sa ulo si mommy ha i-love mo siya. Last na… anak ‘wag mo silang pansinin ok? Mahal na mahal kita anak ko. Miss na miss na kita sobra….*hug na mahigpit*.” The penned message has been edited afterwards.

Elisse and Michelle Vito renew their contract with Cathy Valencia as endorsers for her Advanced Skin Clinic.

On the other hand, in now-deleted Instagram stories posted on Wednesday, the Deleter actor issued an apology and refuted a rumor circulating that a third party caused their split. McCoy was linked to a social media influencer amid the reported breakup.

While not giving details on what caused the separation, he said, “Wala po involve (d) na ibang tao (sa) pinakarason kung bakit kami naghiwalay. Sana po maniwala po kayo. Hindi ko po intensyon manakit ng tao o manloko. Sadyang dumating lang po sa point na sobrang bigat lang ng problema kaya po ako sumuko.”

Whatever led to the breakup, Elisse’s explanation about a Dec. 3 post now seems to be getting new meaning. She posted a photo of herself clad in a bikini showing her stretch marks and post-pregnancy figure, with the caption “Battle scars,” on Instagram. She said during the contract-signing event that it was not only about the physical scars brought about by pregnancy but also about what she was going through internally.

“Actually, they think siyempre yun yung battle scars talaga is yung pinagdaanan sa pagbubuntis,” she said. “But what I was thinking of when I was posting it is the battle scars internally. There’s a lot going on for me. You know personal life, work life, yung sabay-sabay so parang sabi ko ‘pag mom na pala talaga andaming kailangang pagdaanan, andaming challenges, so battle scars are not just yung physical, it’s inside.”

On what she discovered about herself when she became a mom, Elisse stated, “Akala ko dati na matapang na ko in facing different challenges, but now that I am a mom, parang ngayon talaga mas na-te-test talaga na you don’t decide for yourself anymore. Not just for myself anymore, but every decision talaga kailangan pag-isipan and now I see how strong mothers are, not just me but like all the mothers in general, hands down talaga.”

When queried how has things changed for her and McCoy since becoming parents, she noted, “First, I think yung mga simple arguments and away hindi na pwede. Nakita mo na may negative trait yung partner mo, you can’t just say I don’t like that about him and leave. You really have to work on it. Kasi ngayon we’re still growing eh, individually. So what we’re trying to do now is, of course, grow together so yun yung nakita ko sa kanya yun.”