“Hindi ko talaga napigilan luha ko sa live,” admitted vlogger-actress Toni Fowler.

On her Instagram account, she shared her sentiments about returning to the It’s Showtime stage after more than a decade.

“For almost 3 years,  nagtrabaho ako sa Showtime bilang BACK UP DANCER tapos ngayon nakabalik ako pero bilang guest na ARTISTA,” Toni shared.

In the post, she shared before and after photos with host Vice Ganda. The first photo was from 2012, when she was still working as a backup dancer on the show

“Oh ayan lumabas na picture ko dati na wala pag retoke,” she quipped.

The next was the recent photo from her guesting last February 13, 2023. 

Photo credit to @tonifowlerpo Instagram

During the guesting, host Vhong Navarro acknowledged Toni as an “original” of the show. After some friendly banter, Toni was filled with emotion and couldn’t hold back tears as she realized that she has come full circle from back up dancer to celebrity guest.

“We’re happy to see you again and we’re very proud of you," Vice told Toni.

In her post, Toni also gave a shout out to Coco Martin, director and lead actor of FPJ’s Batang Quaipo, which she is now a part of.

“Walang sawang pasasalamat sayo Direk Coco,” said Toni. 

Photo credit to @tonifowlerpo Instagram

So much has changed in Toni’s life in the past decade. She has built her personal brand as a vlogger and content creator, among other things. She is also proud mom to her daughter Tyronia.

On Valentine’s Day, Toni wrote a self-love post to celebrate how she has survived and thrived through the years.  

“Ikaw ang pinakamalupet na babeng hassler sa Pinas dahil pinili mong maging maraming bagay na nakapakimposibleng pagsabay-sabayin,” she reminded herself. “You entertain people sa paraan na kaya mo para mapasaya sila.”

She took time to reflect on her humble beginnings, and appreciate where she is now. She attributed her success to hard work and being true to herself.

“Hindi ka man lumaking masagana sa buhay pero ikaw ang gumawa ng sarili mong swerte,” she said.

“Salamat dahil masipag ka, mapagmahal, at palagi mong pinipili magpakatotoo kaya ka masaya. Marami kang natulungan at pinipili mong magpatawad kahit halos lahat sila ay iwan ka,” she added. “Hindi ka perpekto, pero madaming nagmamahal sa ‘yo.”

Toni is now part of the cast of FPJ’s Batang Quaipo as peanut vendor Chiqui. The show airs from Monday to Friday on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, CineMo, iWantTFC, Kapamilya Online Live, and ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook Page.