"My name is Binibining Gandanghari, so Bebe (pronounced as Bibi)," declared actor Rustom Padilla during his interview with The Buzz hosts Ruffa Gutierrez and Kris Aquino last Sunday. After stunning everyone in last year’s Urian Awards by dressing up as a woman, Rustom now announced that he’s leaving his male self in the past and will be revealing his ‘soul’ to the public. The actor boldly said that ‘Rustom is dead’ and that Bebe is the embodiment of the tantra he is now living by. "And if there's one motto (that) I'm living in my life right now, it's 'Be all that you can be.'"

Bebe (as Rustom would like people to call him now) describes her new identity as a God-fearing and loving lady. Bebe said that  she undergoes the same trouble other women do, such as making himself beautiful at all times. She even recalled the time that she had to attend an event and she had to put on makeup. "Hindi kumakapit ang makeup. That's when I realized ang hirap maging babae. Kaya pala ang babae, 'pag wala sa mood wala sa mood," she shared.

Bebe has recently arrived in the country from a vacation in the US, where she studied modeling. It was during that vacation that she realized who she really was and that the Rustom everyone knew is gone. "There's this one moment na nagkaroon siya ng one-on-one and after… what you're actually looking at now is the soul of a person," explained Bebe profoundly. When asked if she has a boyfriend, Bebe shyly said that she has none. However, she stated that she’d like to find someone tall, dark and handsome like actor Richard Gomez. She adds that Lucy Torres-Gomez has nothing to worry about though. “I don’t go for married men,” Bebe said laughingly.

Bebe also revealed that she has still to meet up with his action star brother Robin Padilla. Bebe feels that Robin should be ready to accept who she is now. "Maybe. He should be," said Bebe.
Aside from "dressing up," Bebe said that she has not resorted to taking hormones to make her appearance more womanly. "Sa akin kasi, I want to do it naturally. I guess the essence of beauty is when you come to terms with your self. (It is) then the beauty comes out naturally," she explained.

Bebe then shared that she is now working on a one-woman-act show to introduce her new identity. When asked what she has learned from her experience, Bebe also encouraged people to stand-up for what they believe in. "Think of your potentials. Do not be afraid. Sabi ko kanina God-fearing kasi I feel that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Take it from there."