Marc Nelson still waiting for the right woman

CEBU, Philippines - Marc Nelson consciously adheres to a healthy lifestyle—the secret to why he’s still looking youthful and fresh, and oozing with sexy masculinity, many thanks to a well-sculpted body, on and off-cam.

Born Marc Saw Nelson on Valentine’s Day in Sydney, Australia, Marc admits that he is heavily into exercise, proper diet and only “good vices.”

“For me, the key secret to maintaining a healthy body is to have a healthy lifestyle. I know the right foods to eat and even if I eat too much, I won’t worry that much because I have my daily routine of exercise,” Marc told The FREEMAN when he showed up in the summer event Paradiso at Tambuli.

Marc arrived in the Philippines in the late 90’s for a diving holiday, but ended up staying for good and finding himself in the modeling scene. He took on the ramp, graced billboards and print ads, and appeared on TV commercials. Then he got into hosting and did dancing shows, pageants, sports-adventure programs, among others.

Marc said that venturing into the entertainment industry was something he never even considered doing. But with the good genes he inherited from his multi-racial parents plus his educational background and many interests, it was inevitable that he’d soon be a familiar face on Philippine television. 

Interestingly, his mom has Burmese and English blood, born in Scotland and raised in Burma and Thailand, while his father is of Chinese and Burmese origin but who migrated to Australia. Apart from the Philippines, he and his family have lived in Sydney, Tanzania, Kenya, Tasmania, Hong Kong, and Canada. He may not have any Filipino blood in him, but he claims he’s Filipino at heart.

Nowadays, Marc is more concentrated on hosting—here and abroad. Apart from Sports Unlimited on ABS-CBN, he does The Duke with his “best buddy” Rovilson Fernandez for AXN Asia. His tandem with Rovilson is also on top of Dare Duo on QTV 11.

Their team-up was discovered via the AXN reality show, The Amazing Race Asia 2, wherein they finished third.

Brains and Brawn

Marc is not just about good looks, but he proves to be the total package.

He graduated with a Science degree in Human Geography, a course similar to Social Anthropology, in Australia. He has taught gymnastics, sold hi-fi audio-video equipment, tutored Bulgarians in English and worked as a bartender, concierge and newspaper boy. He currently dabbles in writing as one of the Lifestyle columnists of The Philippine Star.

A certified book lover, he also joined the roster of celebrities supporting the National Book Development Board’s (NBDB) Get Caught Reading campaign.

He swears that in spite of his being an outdoorsy and sporty person, he always makes time for reading.

The likes of Terry Pratchett, Wilbur Smith, Jeffrey Archer and Dan Brown are some of his favorite authors. He claims that he probably was the first person in the Philippines to acquire a copy of The Lost Symbol.

According to Marc, a day before Dan Brown’s latest book was released, he went to Bibliarch Glorietta and pleaded with the staff to allow him to buy an advance copy, and his persuasive powers worked! Marc’s favorite fictional character is Cohen the Barbarian from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, a parody of the legendary hero Conan the Barbarian.

Love Life

Marc proudly admits that he is single right now and that he’s really enjoying the single life.

When this writer asked on the qualities he’s looking for in a woman, he goes for ladies who are caring, loving, and fun to be with.

He once dated actress Patricia Javier, who’s now happily married. He was also linked to Miss Earth 2004 Priscilla Meirelles (who’s now engaged to John Estrada) and model Paula Taylor (who also did commercials, music videos, and a movie in the country) whom he met during the Amazing Race Asia stint.

“I’m not in a hurry. I’m just waiting when the right woman will come,” Marc ended.