So who’s laughing?
Charlene Gonzalez, that’s who!
That was how Charlene reacted – with a big laugh – when Funfare confronted her during a phone interview yesterday about the rumor that she and husband Aga Muhlach have split up.
Turning serious, Charlene said, "I feel sad that some people could be so mean as to spread rumors like that. Wala yata silang magawang maganda sa buhay."
According to the rumor, Charlene and Aga fought and "separated" (take note: in quotation marks) because Aga has an "affair" (again, take note) with Kristine Hermosa, his leading lady in the Star Cinema hit romance-drama All My Life shown last May.
The rumor came on the heels of the break-up of the marriage of Aga’s former girlfriend Dayanara Torres and Salsa King Marc Anthony (now married to Jennifer Lopez) and still another wild and hugely incredible yarn that Aga, and not Zoren Legaspi, is the biological father of the twins of Carmina Villarroel who, like Charlene, merely laughed it off.
Charlene was light and breezy during our phone interview; she wasn’t defensive at all. Why should she when the rumor is not true?
What’s true is that Charlene and Aga, married (on May 28) for three years now, are still heady with their recent month-long "second honeymoon" in Europe (Italy, France, Monaco and Greece). But Charlene denied that that holiday has resulted in their third child.
"Too soon," said Charlene who is kept busy with her ABS-CBN show Feel At Home Ka Dito, taping of which takes her only two days from home. "Aga and I would rather enjoy the company of Andres and Atasha before having another baby."
The couple lives in what showbiz guys describe as "a mansion" in Ayala Alabang, far from the maddening crowd but not too far from gossip-mongers.
"You know," said Charlene, "Aga and I are not affected by any rumor; we even talk, and sometimes laugh, about them. If the bond between the two of you is strong, nothing, not a mere rumor, can destroy it. God is in the center of our lives."
Besides, she added, as long as she and Aga know the truth and nothing but, all is right with their world.
"Our communication lines are open," said Charlene.
What Aga is crazy about, she said, is birds – "And not chicks."
At home, Aga has so many pet birds that he has virtually put up an aviary.
Rest assured, fans and friends of Aga and Charlene. The "split up" rumor is, ho-hum, one for the birds.
But other, more understanding people look at it in a different light.
Yes, Sheryn admitted, she does have a daughter, nicknamed Sweet (now one-and-a-half-years old), but she withheld that fact because she didn’t want the media to prey on that non-issue and overlook the (singing) talent that she wants the public to see/hear and appreciate.
When she filled up her application form for Star in a Million, Sheryn wrote "single" as her civil status. I’d do the same if I were in her shoes. Gusto kong sumali at manalo, e!
"I was new in the business and I didn’t want my private life to be exposed," she said.
Had she lost, nobody would have cared if she’s married or not, if she has a child or none. She won and that makes a lot of difference.
The rumor started cropping up in blind items right after the Star in a Million grand finals and became more persistent as Sheryn’s popularity rose.
Yes, said Sheryn, she was already married when she joined Star in a Million last year (she and her husband, whose name she’s withholding to protect his privacy, marked their second wedding anniversary yesterday, Sept. 14). At that time, too, her daughter Sweet was already five-months old.
When her story was dramatized on Charo Santos-Concio’s Maalaala Mo Kaya?, Sheryn’s being married and having a child was not mentioned.
"During the interview with the MMK writer," explained Sheryn, "he just asked me about my sad experiences, so I told him about how poor we were when I was in high school. Having a family and a child is my happiest moment."
Anyway, so what if Sheryn is married and has a child? The only "sin" she committed was delaying the revelation of her civil status. In the final analysis, what matters most is for Sheryn to continue singing as well as she’s doing now and that, and only that, is what she owes the public – a good performance. Lani Misalucha and a few other singers are married and have children and we don’t really care – do we? – as long as they do best what they’re expected to do.
So, go ahead, Sheryn Regis. Sing!!!