Tonton Gutierrez and Glydel Mercado recall surprising start of lifelong romance

Whoever says that lifelong romance is not possible should take a closer look at celebrity couple Tonton Gutierrez and Glydel Mercado whose love for each other is bound to last a lifetime.

Six years as boyfriend-girlfriend and 20 years as husband and wife, no one would ever think that no sparks flew between them when they first met. Neither of them even showed interest in getting to know the other more after that initial encounter. But not until they worked together in the GMA drama series “Del Tierro” which ran for two years.

“Na-develop (feelings) na lang doon sa ‘Del Tierro,’ noong kasama ko na siya sa taping,” reminisced Tonton. “I found her different. Hindi siya ‘yung regular na nakikilala ko. She’s quiet, so I told myself, ‘interesting,’” he added with an enigmatic smile.

“Ako kasi may boyfriend ako who was not from showbiz, at that time. So, wala lang, he (Tonton) was just my partner,” said Glydel who also revealed that she was a bit aloof with the Gutierrezes that time because she and Annabelle Rama, her manager during her “That’s Entertainment” days, had already parted ways.

“My manager then was Tita Annabelle (Rama, wife of Tonton’s dad Eddie Gutierrez) tapos nag-away sila ng mommy ko, so medyo ano ko (aloof) sa mga Gutierrez. But Tita Annabelle and I are okay now, just to clarify.”

The celebrity couple in another photo with their daughters. — Photos from Glydel Mercado’s Instagram

Here’s a little trivia: Glydel was first introduced to the public as Flordeliza Sanchez, her real name. Annabelle then changed it to Carrots Alvarez as her screen name. It was Edwin “Daddie Wowie” Roxas who renamed her as Glydel Mercado when he began handling her career.

After her breakup with her non-showbiz boyfriend, the award-winning actress noticed that the production staff of “Del Tierro” kept on teasing her and Tonton.

Six years as boyfriend-girlfriend and 20 years as husband and wife, no one would ever think that no sparks flew between them when they first met. Neither of them showed interest in getting to know the other more. But not until they worked together in the GMA drama series ‘Del Tierro.’

“There were also instances when Tonton couldn’t say his dialogue in our scene together. Nakaka-10 takes pa. Konti lang ‘yung dialogue hindi pa niya maalala. So, in order for us to finish the scene, the director would ask me to turn my back to him, papatalikurin na lang ako para matapos lang yung eksena,” Glydel amusingly recalled.

The two eventually became real-life lovers. However, no relationship is immune to crisis. Tonton and Glydel had a rough patch that led to their separation. She cried buckets when Tonton asked his driver to return to her the things she left at his place.

“Uso pa yung pager noon, so after three days, he sent a message to my beeper asking if we could talk. I agreed and so we talked. There was no third party involved,” shared the actress.

“Wala naman talagang break na totally break na ayoko na. It was just a petty quarrel na lumaki. But we got back together after we talked,” added Tonton.

After six years, Tonton realized it’s time to seal their love in marriage. “It’s been too long (the relationship). I was 35 then at wish ko sa buhay ay magkaroon ng pamilya — ng asawa at anak. So, I told her, ‘Let’s get married,’ at sabi naman niya, ‘Okay.’”

While planning for the wedding, Glydel learned that she was already five months pregnant with their first child. They married in 2004 at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City.

Fast forward to the present, Tonton and Glydel are blessed with two beautiful daughters — Aneeza and Aneeka. The eldest, Aneeza, is now 19 years old and studying abroad. This columnist was able to talk to Aneeza and she said she’s currently in Dubai after having stayed in Singapore.

“She will be in Australia in September,” declared Tonton who was initially half-hearted about allowing Aneeza to continue her studies outside of the country. Aneeza graduated from high school at Miriam College in 2022.

“Kaya mo ba ‘yan kasi you’re going to be alone,” recounted Tonton of his heart-to-heart talk with Aneeza. “Until she said, ‘Dad, I got a scholarship of 90 percent.’ Doon na, how would I say no, ‘di ba?”

It was difficult at first but the actor also wanted his daughter to explore and become independent. “Mas mahirap para sa Nanay,” mused Tonton.

“Every time na umaalis, nagkaka-anxiety ako. Umiiyak talaga ko at mga ilang weeks bago ako maka-recover at buti na lang may video call na tayo ngayon,” said Glydel.

I asked the couple how they are able to sustain the strength and lasting nature of their bond, Glydel stressed the importance of communication.

“If for example, there is a problem, even if it’s a minor one, we don’t allow it to become a major one. We talk about it right away,” said Glydel, who also added that accountability (read: taking responsibility to one’s mistake) equally plays a pivotal role in a relationship.

“Kasi ‘pag inipon mo yung sama ng loob mo, magiging malaki pa kaya sasabihin ko agad sa kanya o sasabihin niya sa akin ‘yung mali ko para hindi ko na gagawin ulit.”

Enduring love can mean expressing one’s love through words. It was nothing but sweet to hear them complete the sentence, Mahal kita kasi…

Tonton to Glydel: “Mahal kita kasi sa ‘yo tumibok ang puso ko.”

Glydel to Tonton: “Mahal kita kasi ikaw ang forever ko.”