Jericho Rosales & Kim Jones on love, marriage & surfing

He is an actor, one of the most established leading men in the industry, born and raised in the Philippines. She is a Filipino-British model, one of the most loved lifestyle bloggers, who spent most of her life in Australia. Together, they make one of Manila’s favorite couples today. Here are 10 things you should know about the future Mr. and Mrs. Jericho and Kim (Jones) Rosales.

1 Jericho Rosales admits to being painfully shy as a kid: “There were girls I had a crush on but didn’t pursue because I was just too shy.”

“Hanggang tingin lang ako,” he admits laughing. “There was this one girl, in grade school, I wrote her a love letter. I stole a love letter from my Kuya Caloy and copy pasted the best parts to give to her! Then we became kind of ‘MU’ (mutual understanding) but then I got transferred to another school.

“I went to five schools in elementary. I had no permanent school so I had no permanent friends. My parents are separated and I stayed with my mom. My mom had to keep moving, from Baguio to Manila to Marikina to Bicol,” Echo recalls. “I was super shy when I was a kid. I was so quiet in school, always daydreaming.” He admits the reason he joined Mr. Pogi in 1996 was for the money. “The prize was P50,000, an educational plan, and a trip to Hong Kong! After I won, there was a time I was in a bus, it was 2 a.m. Then this group beside me started saying, ‘Uy, si Mr. Pogi!’ But I was so shy, tinatago ko mukha ko! It was only when I joined Star Magic that I learned how to be confident, how to project, the artista way.”

2 Jericho, on dealing with a career shift after being the top matinee idol: “Honestly it was hard, it was very painful.”

“It was my decision kasi. I got tired, burnt out talaga. I said I can’t keep doing this, I wanted to find something deeper. So I got into music, I wrote songs, then banda ako one year. Pag balik ko, it was so hard. New artists arrived, all vying for the endorsements, the shows, the movies,” he reveals. “I remember driving on EDSA. I was driving my pick-up, I had to sell my other SUVs at that time. I was looking up, and I said, ‘Oh, Lord. Why is it so hard to get just one billboard? Why is it so hard to be there again in the soap scene, in the movie scene? What are you trying to teach me? So I went abroad. I wanted to learn, I wanted to pursue acting not just in the Philippines.

“That gave me a dose of reality. This is bound to happen. But I felt that God wanted me to do more things, and it’s not done yet. I have been picky with my roles, and He has been good to me. In this world, minsan ihahain sayo, minsan you really have to work hard if you want to get something.” Echo shares he would like to pursue producing and directing in the future, aside from acting abroad. “I’m currently working on a TV series in Malaysia, and it has been good training, but the US, for me that is the ultimate goal.”

3 Kim Jones came to Manila on a five-week vacation just to see if she liked it, and she did. “I sold my car and bought a one-way ticket without knowing what was going to happen.”

“I was born in England but we migrated to Adelaide and I spent pretty much my whole life there. I was brought up taught that girls should be seen and not heard, so we were really encouraged to be quiet. Growing up, my mom was incredibly strict. I could count the times I was allowed to sleep over at friends’ houses. I was a loner, I used to stay at the library all by myself, which is why I was so good at school. We were sheltered, and slowly as I grew up I just became more independent. Kawawa ako,” she quips in her thick Aussie accent, then laughs.

“That is sort of the reason I moved here. I was working in finance, and in Australia, its sort of similar to the American dream that you sort of live to work and not work to live. That was not my priority when I was 22. So, I sort of reached a quarter life crisis. My brother was here modeling and he said I should come and try living here,” she shares. Kim also reveals that she had to battle with homesickness. “For the first three months you’re like, ‘This is awesome!’ You’re on a high. Then things start to happen like, work wasn’t coming in, I missed my life in Australia, grocery shopping, driving myself around. Then after a while, I got used to it.”

4 Kim shares her top  three fashion and beauty must-haves:

Fashion:

1. Really high black patent pumps: “They add class to every outfit.”

2. A good tailored blazer: “It’s a classic way to jazz up your look.”

3. A good fitting pencil skirt: “It’s very flattering and versatile.”

Beauty:

1. Liquid eyeliner: “That’s all I use.”

2. A bold red lipstick: “Relentlessly Red by MAC is always in my bag,”

3. White nail polish: “I really like Deborah Lippman.”

5 Jericho Rosales and Kim Jones in numbers:

30: number of months between the day they met and the day they got engaged.

18: number of years Jericho has been in show business, having done around 15 soap operas and over 20 movies.

515,172: number of views on YouTube of Jericho proposing to Kim, in their church, on her birthday.

50-plus: number of hats in Jericho’s collection (“I had more, I gave away a lot already”)

23: jersey number Kim used to wear when she played football in high school (“Because it was David Beckham’s number!”)

4: average number of times they see each other a week (“When we are less busy, we see each other every day.”)

6 It was actually Kim who asked Jericho out, but not before she rejected his invitation first. 

“After we met, we didn’t speak for like two months,” Kim shares. “I was so excited na, I was showing her picture to my friends, ‘Look she’s so beautiful! And look at her eyes,’ I’d zoom in on my phone,” Jericho adds.

“I bought two tickets to The Script concert without even asking her if she wanted to watch. Thing is, I just had a tooth operation and my mouth was so swollen but I was so confident to ask her out. She didn’t say yes. I ended up watching with a guy friend,” Jericho recalls. “Yeah, I said I had plans, but I didn’t,” Kim answers shyly covering her face. “The truth is, I was really hurt,” Jericho quips.

“Yeah, we would text, but she would reply with just one line, tapos days later pa,” Jericho laughs. “I’m sorry,” Kim says leaning her head on Jericho’s arm.

“He even bought me a DVD set of classical music that I mentioned I wanted the first time we met. So he went out and bought one, but we never saw each other again. So the next time we met up he gave it and said, ‘I got this for you like two months ago,’” she says chuckling.

So how did he get the guts to ask her out again? “I asked him,” Kim reveals. “It was a change of heart! When we first met, we clicked on a friendly level. I was new here and I didn’t wanna get into a relationship. But I sort of started to miss his friendship, so I asked him if he wanted to hang out. Then he invited me to go surfing,” she says.

The couple recall that first surfing trip together. “That night, we were talking, getting to know each other. Then I went to bed and left my door open. Apparently, he thought…” Kim laughs.

“I thought she was hinting! I was like, is this a sign?!” Jericho adds laughing. “But of course I didn’t go inside,” they both laugh. 

7 Jericho and Kim as a couple:

Who is… 

...more malambing? Jericho.

...more seloso/selosa? “That’s one thing we’ve never fought about,” Kim shares.

...funnier? Jericho. 

…the first to get upset? Jericho. “I’m sensitive kasi,” Echo says.

…the alaskador one? Kim. “Me, definitely. I always play pranks on him, or set him up in situations that make him feel uncomfortable. But lovingly,” Kim laughs. “She would tease me saying, ‘Aaw, you’re such a baby, you’re sick again, you’re in the hospital again,” Jericho mimicks Kim and they laugh.

8 Their three favorite getaways as a couple:

1. La Union: “That’s where he taught me how to surf. That’s where we go when we need to get away. It’s so chill and relaxed,” Kim says.

Where to stay? “Flotsam and Jetsam, it’s this fairly new hostel that’s shabby chic,” she says. “Or San Juan Surf Resort,” he adds.

Travel time: Five hours

2. Pagudpod

Where to stay: “Kapuluan Vista Resort. They grow their own vegetables, all organic, and you surf just right in front,” Echo says.

Travel time: 12 hours

3. Baler: “That’s where it all happened,” they both smile.

Where to stay: “This new resort called Costa Pacifica. But my favorite is still Bahia de Baler,” Echo says.

Travel time: Five hours

9 One relationship tip Jericho shares: “Sometimes,  just keep your mouth shut.”

On what they learned from their past relationships: “I think my past relationship just put into perspective what I was looking for, what I needed in a life long partner. It’s a lot of things. I found it fundamental that we had to have the same faith, we had to want the same things, we had to want to grow together. I just had one relationship before this and it was four years, I learned what I wanted and what I didn’t,” Kim says. “You see, she came as a surprise. I have always had to pursue, and look, but with us, I just gave in to what life gave me. And life made it easy for me. I went with the flow. I am at my happiest now,” Jericho shares.

On what they have learned to never do in a relationship: “Never go to sleep without resolving an argument,” Kim says. “I learned I should just keep my mouth shut,” Jericho laughs and they high five. “When arguing, normally the one who talks more is either guilty, or because you talk too much you’ll end up saying something unnecessary. So just wait ‘til everything is cool.”

10 Best love advice they got for their future married life: “Keep love as a discipline.”

“Kung yun ang discipline naming dalawa, the arguments, finances, parents, in laws, friends, house, it covers everything,” Jericho says of what they learned from their pastor, Joe Obordo, at New Life Church. “He is going to be my husband, but above all, God comes first. For both of us. We are both not perfect, but He is,” Kim explains. “To other people, ‘Ay, corny, God, God, God.’ But for us, God is never corny. God’s the ultimate that you need in everything. When people ask, ‘What’s up with you?’ I say, I need something more solid than me,” he adds.

Married couples warn: think of the one most irritating trait of your partner and imagine it times 10. That’s what you’ll have to deal with when you are married. Kim says that for her, that trait is Jericho’s lateness. “I’m a very punctual person, and he takes forever to get ready. I can literally get ready in 10, 15 minutes. Not him. He has to have his rituals,” she shares.

“But I’m so proud when I’m ready in 30 minutes,” Jericho says.

“Then he forgets his phone or his wallet!” Kim laughs. For Jericho, that trait is what makes Kim get inis easily. “Because he’s always late,” Kim quips. They both laugh.

* * *

Jericho and Kim are one of those couples that you come across and you think to yourself, “They really are perfect for each other.” They didn’t wait for a signs, everything just happened effortlessly. Theirs is a love story that seems to be written in the stars, and we wish them and their future life together (and future gorgeous babies!) nothing but the best. 

* * *

E-mail me at askiamsuperbianca@yahoo.com or message me on Twitter and Instagram at @iamsuperbianca