Assunta de Rossi denies breakup rumors

Assunta de Rossi was emphatic in denying reports that she and husband, Congressman Jules Ledesma, have parted ways. The rumors surfaced immediately after the buzz that Beth Tamayo and hubby Johnny Wong have split. The talk was that Jules was treating his wife shabbily, shouting at her in public.

Not true, Assunta stressed to reporters at the presscon for her new show, U Women Can Be So Funny, on Q11. “Next time you hear stories about our break-up, don’t fall for them. And I will keep on insisting: We’re still married and together. Just this December we celebrated our sixth anniversary. We were in Negros then, and we threw a party that coincided with the start of the ethanol program in Negros,” she said.

What Assunta is coping with is boredom. She fights it off mainly by chilling out in the mall. That doesn’t mean that because she has so much free time in her hands, she longs for the company of other men. She also said she has no problems about Jules craving the company of other women. The only competition she faces is from Heidi, Bertha and Sofia. They’re her husband’s cars. “At least he lets me ride them,” she said.

What about having kids? Not a priority for now, considering Jules’ heavy workload. “Besides, we’d have to move to a bigger house. There’s no space for them in our condominium. Where would we put them, in a shoebox?”

There’s no pressure, and Assunta is free to do whatever she pleases. “This is my life. I make my own schedule.”

She also said the congressman’s family has come to accept her. “They realized who they’re up against,” Assunta quipped.

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Veteran actress Anita Linda was on her way last week to the presscon for ABS-CBN’s new teleserye “Tayong Dalawa” when it happened. Two men barged into the taxi she was riding. One of them tried to grab the 84-year-old actress’ bag. “I was in the middle of the backseat and he tried to seize my bag. I moved to the other side and he tried to follow me by opening the door wider. I fought to keep him from entering. Soon he retreated because there were so many people watching.”

The other man got away with the taxi driver’s bag.

Because things happened so fast she only noticed that the two men were wearing t-shirts.

The incident unnerved Ms. Linda. “It was the first time in my life that something like that happened.”

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The story was going around that Edu Manzano was through as host of the popular noontime show Game Ka Na Ba. He supposedly had a run-in with the show’s director.

No such thing, claimed Edu last week. “We’re still taping (episodes for the show).”

Edu admitted that his contract with the GKMB expired at the end of 2008. Negotiations for its renewal have not begun because his manager June Rufino was in the hospital.

If Edu signs again for the show, he wants to make sure that it includes a clause for his vacation. He feels he needs some time off from his hectic schedule. He’s also hands-on as chairman of the Optical Media Board, and catching video pirates and putting them in jail is definitely not an easy task.