But looking like a goddess doesn’t necessarily mean that she acts like one. Try and get yourself into a long conversation with her and you’ll see what I mean. She’s actually very much more like the down-to-earth sweet girl next door (who’s not too prissy to take the MRT) – not the hotshot diva model that gets all the ads. Having started modeling at the age of 19, Kelly went to casting calls, go-sees and auditions because her father was in advertising. The Organizational Communication graduate admits though that when she first started out, she wasn’t always the first pick and got her very first stint when she was a sophomore at the De La Salle University. Of course, the casting agents back then must be thumping their heads into the nearest wall because Kelly is everywhere today – commercials, billboards and practically any medium of advertising you can think of. She’s done Pink Soda, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), San Mig Coffee and Addict Mobile – she even endorsed Pond’s and Pantene last year.
And the funny thing is, Kelly doesn’t live the life most people perceive models to live. For one thing, she’s not exactly a party animal. In fact, she confesses to being the world’s biggest homebody and neat freak. "I think I would make a good librarian because I love to organize and clean things! My clothes in my closet are really arranged according to color. Like all the white pieces are together." One of her good friends, model Bianca Fernandez attests to this, too, and jokingly says that it could be another career option for Kelly. But being an organized neat freak has served her well especially when she had to model abroad and live in Hong Kong for several months – it helped her when she really had to do things on her own in the big city.
"The first time I had to live in Hong Kong was really tough for me. I got homesick a lot because I lived alone and it wasn’t really fun to go home with nobody to talk to. But the second time around was a lot more fun for me because I lived with a few other people and I got to experience and do a whole lot more things."
Now that she’s back, her adoring public just can’t wait to get another glimpse of her. And yes, things are finally back to normal – with people happily slipping into a trance and bumping to each other.