Heaven opens up on romance with Marco

Heaven Peralejo was about 10 years old when she had her first taste of television acting through the GMA 7 contest “Lipad Darna Liit” on “Sis,” hosted by Carmina Villarroel, Gelli de Belen and Janice de Belen. It was her grandmother who made her costume, and she would accompany Heaven to the Kapuso network.

However, Heaven suddenly backed out during the semi-final round. Reason: She was not used to hearing people yell things on the set.

“In our household, there’s no yelling, walang namamalo. So, sanay ako na ‘pag galit ‘yung isang tao, tinitingnan ako, mata-mata lang (at) tahimik na ako. And so, parang ayaw ko na, I gave up,” explained Heaven.

Her reaction was understandable because that time Heaven was too young to know that people yelling on the TV production set is just but natural. Verbalizing commands and instructions loudly, especially by the director, is often the best way for the crew and cast to get the instructions correctly.

“Of course, now I already know why,” enthused Heaven whose stint in the 2016 edition of “Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7” as a housemate rose her to prominence.

Showbiz watchers would also describe her as the niece of sisters Rica and Paula Peralejo.

“Sa mga tao naman po, nakakatuwa lang minsan na they would tell me, ‘I’ve worked with your tita.’ And that’s okay, it’s a good conversation starter. It’s not a pressure (to be identified as the niece of Rica and Paula). Besides, every time we see each other in family reunions, we don’t talk about show business.”

I told Heaven that there was a time in Rica’s career that she went sexy. Heaven, on the other hand, revealed that it was her Tita Rica who advised her not to tread the sexy career path when they recently had a family get-together.

“Hindi na daw kailangan. Wala naman akong plan,” declared the actress who won Best Actress trophies at the Asian Academy Creative Awards and the 39th Luna Awards for her excellent acting performance in “Nanahimik ang Gabi.”

Being labeled as sexy does make Heaven feel good about her body. She fully embraces it and completely feels comfortable with it.

“It feels good to be sexy. It gives me confidence at some point na parang sometimes, oo nga naman, why should I be so insecure with small things when I can be so much more? And what is wrong with being sexy? It’s part of my job, too. I got endorsements because of it.”

Her character and beauty equally caught the attention of such celebrities as Jimuel Pacquiao and Kiko Estrada. Both were her exes and Heaven made clear that she parted ways with them without bitterness.

“No beef at all. None,” clarified Heaven, adding that there was no truth to the rumor that the Pacquiao family disliked her. “Sobrang okay po namin. We were okay until the end,” she furthered.

Jimuel is the eldest son of boxing champ Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee.

Her past romance with Kiko, the son of Gary Estrada and Cheska Diaz, also got some tongues wagging. She was accused of being the third party and allegedly the cause of Kiko’s separation from former girlfriend Devon Seron. Heaven stressed that it was just miscommunication.

“He did (cleared in an interview) na parang it’s so far. Malayo ‘yung timeline. But then, naunahan na ng tsismis that time. So, whatever you say, wala na rin talaga (maniniwala),” stated the actress. In fact, the two are in the cast of the primetime drama action series “Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa” airing on TV5.

Heaven is now in a romantic relationship with Marco Gallo whom she first met inside the “PBB” house. She narrated how destiny played a big role in their love affair.

“I do believe in the invisible string theory because we met when we were kids. I liked him. He liked me but it did not work out. Then, we met again after seven years and look how it folds out,” she exclaimed.

The idea behind the invisible string theory is that whoever is for you, may very well stay connected to you. In other words, it’s written in the universe that you’ll be together someday. And that’s exactly what Heaven was pointing out.

How does she handle guys who are seemingly attracted to her?

“I make sure that there are boundaries. I don’t want to be stared at and when I feel that they’re looking at me differently, na medyo hindi maganda, Tito Boy, I will distance myself from them.”