Marian Rivera breaks her silence on that ‘padlock’ rumor, relives her ‘kontesera’ days on “GGV”

One of the most beautiful women in showbiz meets the Unkabogable Superstar who loves a good ‘ganda-gandahan’ moment! Marian Rivera and Vice Ganda finally share the spotlight on “Gandang Gabi Vice.”  

The icons talked about beauty, with Marian sharing that she’s been practicing good self-care habits since she was younger, growing up with her grandmother, who took personal grooming seriously and taught her to always look presentable.  

The drama royalty remains meticulous about her skincare routine to this day, particularly when it comes to removing her makeup and applying moisturizer after work, no matter how tiring her schedule gets. “Huwag kayong tamarin na maghilamos ng mukha,” she advised. She added, “Tatanggalin mo ang lahat,” meaning, it’s not just makeup we need to get rid of at the end of the day, but all the negativity too.  

With her stunning face, successful showbiz career, and beautiful family, Marian seems to have it all. But as gorgeous and accomplished as she is, the “Remember Me” star isn’t immune to criticisms and hurtful comments. The actress got candid about some of the not-so-nice opinions about her over the years and how she really feels about them. 

She addressed the common impression that she’s ‘mataray,’ which she thinks stems from her straightforward personality and sharp Caviteña accent, although the accent has softened a bit over the years. “Medyo matigas magsalita ang taga-Cavite. Kahit na pakiramdam mo mahinahon mong sinabi, pero ‘yung dating sa tao parang galit ka,” she explained.  

People also make fun of her English-speaking skills, which she doesn’t mind at all. Sometimes she’d even play along with the jokes about it, as long as they don’t cross the line. “Kapag dumating sa punto na ang English ay pinang-iinsulto na sa pagkatao ko, aba, ibang usapan na ‘yan,” she said.  

She went on to reveal that she was actually a ‘kontesera’ when she was younger. And, during the episode, she got to relive her ‘beauty queen’ era during in playtime pageant showdown called “Miss GGV 2026,” where they would compete for the crown. 

Netizens also looked forward to hearing Marian’s side of the never-ending gossip about her allegedly locking another actress inside a comfort room out of jealousy. In the episode, she finally broke her silence and set the record straight about what really happened.  

When Vice asked her guest about the long-standing hearsay, Marian answered, “Kung ang tanong mo ay nangyari ba talaga, hindi,” saying the story that had circulated over the years was just an exaggerated version. 

In fact, as Marian revealed, she and the actress involved in the rumor have already made peace when the latter appeared on her former talk show and apologized to her. “‘Yung totoo niyan, maayos na kaming dalawa,” Marian explained, adding, “Nag-sorry siya sa akin. So, from there, alam niya na may mga nangyari na hindi naman talagang nangyari. Para sa akin, hindi ko na kailangan i-explain sa social media.”  

This was the first time she had publicly addressed the “urban legend,” explaining that she didn’t speak about it before because she felt that no matter what she said, the story was already ingrained in the public’s mind. Rather than continue defending herself against the allegation, she chose to hold on to what she knows to be true and focus on the fact that she and the other actress have already resolved their differences. “Okay na ako doon. Ang mahalaga ‘pag nagkikita kami, okay na kami. At napatawad ko na siya,” she said.  

The episode wrapped up with Marian’s ‘Deep Truth’ statement, “Nagpanggap akong lalaki noon sa dance contest,” which she confirmed was indeed part of her dance competition era. She used to join dance contests when she was younger, and on one occasion, she was recruited by a group to join their performance. The concept was that she had to disguise herself as a boy until the end of the routine, when her identity as a girl would be revealed as the performance’s big twist. 

And to prove that she’s still got the moves, Marian treated everyone to a quick hip-hop dance sample. Unfortunately for Vice and Divine Tetay, who both guessed ‘charot,’ getting the answer wrong meant they had to face their punishment. 

Watch the unfiltered “Gandang Gabi Vice” episode with Marian for free on iWant (for Philippines-based users only).