Aside from taping for Us Girls and MYX as well as doing ASAP every Sunday, host Iya Villania is also busy finishing her senior year at De La Salle University taking up AB Psychology. “On my days off, either I’m with Drew (Arellano) or I’m working on my thesis,” she says.

Busy or not, Iya fond time to host the recent Star Olympics tagged as the “Last Shot of Daboy” at the Marikina Sports Complex with Gabby Concepcion the weekend of October 18. “It was sobrang fun working with Gabby. I found that we weren’t sticking to the script. Na free-flowing na lang. He knows what he’s doing and so it helps me rin. He’s a good guide for me,” she says.

The event, which brought over 100 celebrities together for a day of fun and sports in honor of the late actor Rudy Fernandez, was a memorable experience for the Us Girls host. “It’s heart warming because I see all these artistas take time out from their busy schedules for Daboy. So makikita mo kung gaano kalapit sa puso nila si Daboy. They’re doing this not for themselves, but for him. It was very nice,” she states.

Speaking of showbiz, the pretty 22-year-old MYX VJ also shares what she thinks is the best thing about being a host and showbiz personality. “Being on TV can make you into a role model and I’d like to think na good influence ako (laughs). I like to be, if not an influence, then an inspiration to others. So that’s what’s nice about this job. You also gain credit for what you do. It’s nice to know that people appreciate what you do. Since I’m on TV nga, people can identify me kaagad so whatever they like and whatever they enjoy seeing in me, the people tell me. It’s really nice to know that people appreciate my work. And another thing I like about my work is I’m not playing any role. Wala na akong kailangan I-internalize kasi I’m just being myself,” she admits.

Iya also stays grounded with the normal treatment she gets when she has class. “Actually, in school some people don’t know me as a celebrity. A lot of teachers don’t know me as a celebrity. Because of that, there’s no special treatment. And even for those who do know me as a celebrity, they don’t treat me differently and that’s the way I like it. In that way, I get the best of both worlds. I get to be treated as an artista when I’m working as an artista and at school I get treated as an ordinary person,” she explains.

When it comes to her longtime boyfriend Drew Arellano, Iya says that the secret to their relationship is very simple. “We’ve been together four years and five months and I guess we stay strong because we just keep things between the two of us. So that way it’s really just us two. There really aren’t outside variables that try to tear us apart, ruin us or destroy the relationship. It’s really just between the two of us so if ever there are things that he hears outside or that I hear outside about him, we don’t listen. I believe in what he tells me and he believes in what I tell him. I think it’s just keeping it tighter, keeping it between the two of us,” she says.

Iya also shares the sweet things they do for each other that make them feel special to each other. “Our problem is not third parties, but time. We make time to see each other. The minute I find free time, it’s to be with Drew or for him to be with me. And another secret to our relationship is honesty and communication. I think that’s what it is because even though we don’t see each other, as long as we get to talk a lot. Even if I know he’s sleeping, even if I just pass by the house and see him, that’s enough for me. It’s just the little efforts that says I love you,” she relates. By defying the odds of being a couple in showbiz, will Iya be planning to walk down the aisle soon? “No wedding plans. We’re happy with where we are right now. We like watching movies, eating. Ohmigosh, eating talaga (laughs) and whatever else we think of doing. It could be spending time with his friends, biking, going for runs. He’s now officially a triathlete so I join him when he trains,” she says with a smile.

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