Coleen Garcia opens up on lessons from marriage with Billy Crawford

Coleen Garcia has admitted to being impatient and impulsive when she was younger.

The Viva Artists Agency actress revealed what she was almost gave up and what she had given up on in life because of this.

“I’m a very impatient and impulsive person,” began Coleen during the virtual media conference for Viva One’s six-part series titled Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko.

“So, throughout my life, I had so many hobbies. I had also attended so many lessons like I tried piano, ballet.

“I was into painting before but, seemingly, due to my being so impatient and impulsive, what I have now is more humility to learn.

“Parang ‘pag naiinis ako, napipikon ako, sumusuko ako agad. And then, I would tell myself, ‘Ah, I can’t do this anymore,’” she said.

She also confessed that she does not know how to dance. This may sound surprising to know because last October, Coleen surprised her husband Billy Crawford when she joined him in his dance performance in Danse avec les stars, the French version of the dancing competition Dancing With The Stars.

“I still don’t know how to dance but if only I had pushed through with it (dance lesson) before, then I would have already been good at it now. (Besides) I never thought that I would be in the entertainment industry,” she said.

Coleen knows that everyone tries to live with no regrets yet she sometimes couldn’t help but think about her failure of pursuing her hobbies.

“Iniisip ko na sana pinagbutihan ko noon, na sana naging masipag ako noon, so I could reap the benefits now. But it’s never too late because I can still go back to those things, except for dancing, which I think it’s a bit late for me to learn now,” added Coleen, who promised that she will make up for it through Amari, her and husband Billy’s first child.

It’s fortunate that everything she had given up was not damaging to her career or life “and the good thing is, I didn’t commit any mistake that would truly make me regret for the rest of my life.”

Well, she almost did when, Coleen disclosed, she nearly backed out of wedding with Billy in April, 2018.

“We almost called off the wedding at that time. I didn’t know if I wanted to push through with it or not,” she said. “Sobrang magulo ang utak ko noon. But we got through the wedding, hindi kami sumuko, pero malapit na. I think that was also the time when all the challenges set in.”

Coleen on relationship with Billy: It’s been a rocky ride for us and we went through a lot together.

“You ask yourself, ‘Ano ba itong papasukan ko? Tama ba ‘tong decision that we’re making?’ All the doubts came (in my head) when everything became a reality,” she shared.

She, too, admitted that even up to now — she and Billy have been together for nine years already — there are moments when she’s tempted to give up. But it’s Billy who always keeps her calm.

Coleen recalled her past relationships didn’t last for a year, but it’s different with Billy.

“It’s been a rocky ride for us — from party days to being in showbiz — and we went through a lot together. We’re grown so much together and in many of those times, I admit, I wanted to walk away because when I see a problem, I walk away and Billy never allowed me to,” she said. “Not even one-time separation became an option for Billy. That’s what taught me to also value commitment.

“Now that we’re married, we’re in this together. At forever na ito na kailangan talaga naming alagaan yung relationship, so it will never get to a point of walking away.”

Meanwhile, Coleen is looking forward to starting shooting for Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko, where she will be partnering with Carlo Aquino. The two worked together in the 2018 film Exes Baggage.

Director Carlo Enciso Catu gushed how Coleen and Carlo registered perfectly on screen as partners.

“When we were doing the “look-test,” pag-pasok pa lang nilang dalawa, makikita mo na agad na tamang tama sila for their characters (as lovers),” said direk Carlo, who confirmed about incorporating some Filipino values and traditions into the film to be shot in Pampanga. He mentioned that it is common here in our country to see married couples try their best to get along well with their in-laws.

In the series, Coleen is Allie who gets close to Benedict, a chef in the establishment opposite her workplace. They meet during break times and eventually, they fall in love and agree to get married.

But their relationship is put to the test when problems arise one by one. Will they still push through with the wedding, especially after learning that their married couple friends are experiencing marital woes?

Kung Hindi Tayo Sumuko is Coleen’s “comeback film” since her return from France last year. She shared that she will go back to France right after she completed her scenes in the film.

“I will go there for L’Oreal Paris, a brand deal,” she affirmed.

(Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko will begin to stream exclusively under Viva One in September.)