After roughly six years of being together, with one year as an engaged couple, Kapamilya host Robi Domingo and his non-showbiz partner Maiqui Pineda finally tied the knot last January 6 in Pulilan, Bulacan.

Photo credit to Robi Domingo IG

And just a few weeks after their star-studded and fancy ceremony, the newlyweds didn’t just take us back on their inspiring and beautiful love story, but even around the rustic Big Ben Farm House and expansive farmland and polo field owned by Robi’s maternal side of the family in this interview with veteran broadcast journalist Karen Davila. The couple imparted that this was where their wedding was held – from their preparations with their respective entourage to the grand and festive reception.

Their lighthearted and insightful conversation with Karen started with how married life has been for them, to which they retorted is fun yet they’re still adjusting, as well as spending most of their days cleaning.

Karen then had them reminisce about their engagement, which was witnessed not only by their friends who were with them during their trip to Japan in 2022, but by the hundreds of people walking along Shibuya Crossing, too, as Robi chose to execute his marriage proposal there. Although she already had an inkling that he would pop the question to her during that time, Maiqui, who was always well-dressed and had pretty nails according to Robi, claimed that she never expected that he would do it at the world-famous intersection.

They agreed to get hitched at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of San Isidro Labrador where Robi was also baptized three decades ago. While he simply found it really delightful and nostalgic, Maiqui, on the other hand, was impressed by its architectural style and appearance of the 18^th-century structure, which suited their Filipiniana motif well.

Although they’d known each other wayback their student days at Ateneo de Manila University since they were batchmates and had been seeing each other in ABS-CBN Christmas Special every year since her parents work there, it was only in 2017 when Robi and Maiqui became close after chatting until 4 in the morning the following day.

As their friendship got deeper and Robi pursued her, it was during their diving trip in Anilao, Batangas in 2018 when Maiqui was able to confirm that Robi was indeed the one. She told Karen, “This guy is making me do things that I never expected I would do, pero I can do it pala. I became more myself. So, over the years, he kept doing that to me, tapos I kept getting braver and braver kasi sobrang shy po talaga ako.”

She added that he was able to make her a better person by challenging her to conquer the limits she imposed on herself, which she discovered were only on her mind.

When asked why he wasn’t able to find love in the industry, Robi imparted that it’s because of how a complicated world it is and he was really looking for something else, which he found in Maiqui. “Sa kanya nakita ko ang purpose, siya ‘yong nagbibigay ng kakaibang ligaya. Saka I consider her my favorite person,” he conveyed.

Their conversation then veered to the setbacks they encountered while planning their wedding, which included Maiqui’s unexpected sickness. Thus, for the 34-year-old bankable host, 2023 was a true testament that if you really love the person, you would do anything you can in order to make everything between you still possible.

It can be recalled that she suffered from dermatomyositis, an auto-immune disease that affects the skin, lungs, and muscles, and is characterized by joint pains, swelling of fingers, and shortness of breath that really impaired her movements and made her get tired so easily

Upon learning about her condition, she immediately underwent treatments, with Robi being part of her strong support system. We might have seen him all smiles always in their pictures together during those trying times, but he was actually so shattered and broken. As much as he wanted to be totally strong for her, he confessed to getting so vulnerable when he had to leave her at the hospital for work. Besides, it was also the day when her doctor told them about her condition and he needed them to be strong since it would be a long, hard, and expensive fight.

Due to her condition, Maiqui disclosed that she was actually anxious that Robi would leave her, yet he didn’t. Thus, she had nothing but gratitude for him not only for being one of her sources of strength, but for being her greatest confidant, especially during those difficult times as he had to bear all the breakdowns, anger, and sadness that she went through.

“Just remembering those moments brings me such relief right now kasi ang layo ng pinagdaanan namin sa nae-experience namin ngayon,” Robi remarked.

Karen also asked the newlyweds for their message to one another. Maiqui went first, saying, “I just wanna say thank you for everything we went through last year, but also for the past six years for helping me become more of myself.”

That thrilled Robi, and in turn reassured her, “Kahit anong mangyayari, hindi kita iiwan. I am ready and I am excited to build a farm-ily with you,” which made his wife kilig.

As they roamed around their mega farm and polo field, the couple revealed that one of their first dates took place there, which happened during one of the celebrations of the Feast of San Isidro Labrador. She confessed to falling in love more with Robi as he allowed her to experience the rich culture and traditions of Pulilan that Robi is wholeheartedly proud of.

Robi also divulged that he was actually supposed to know how to ride horses, but instead of taking lessons when he was still in high school, he entered the famous Pinoy Big Brother house as one of the housemates of the Teen Edition Plus in 2008 and ended up being the runner-up of Ejay Falcon.