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Bela Padilla 'hurt' by loss of ABS-CBN franchise

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Leah C. Salterio

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Bela Padilla at the launch of her latest endorsement" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/06/27/bela.jpg"/><figcaption>Bela Padilla at the launch of her latest endorsement</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Actress-director-screenwriter Bela Padilla decided to leave for London and stayed there after ABS-CBN lost its franchise in 2020. She packed her bags two-and-a-half-years ago and opted to be based in the United Kingdom, where she is legally a citizen.“To be completely frank, I made my decision to leave when ABS-CBN closed down,” she told ABS-CBN News. “I was really affected by that and I felt hurt by it.“I felt that people decided on my livelihood without experiencing being on the set, without knowing how hard it is to finish a project.“They were able to decide without meeting the people whose lives are changing forever. I felt that if we couldn’t be protected in a basic scale, it just doesn’t feel safe.“So, I wanted to find a place where I feel completely safe, where they don’t pull the rug under you and say, ‘Sorry, you no longer have work today.’ I felt that really changed my mind.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/02/04/23/bela-padilla-says-she-enjoys-laid-back-lifestyle-in-london">Bela Padilla says she enjoys laid-back lifestyle in London</a></li></ul>The UK proved to be the “easiest choice” for Padilla since she is a British citizen. Her real name is Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan. She feels very fortunate that even up to this day, she can still shuttle between the UK and the Philippines and enjoy the best of both worlds.“Ten years ago, if there is an artista who moved to the US or somewhere else, there will be no Zoom, which will allow them to meet any time of the day with Boss Vic (del Rosario of Viva Films) or ABS-CBN just to talk about the latest project for me,” Padilla said. “The world really got so close, so it’s easier.”Padilla arrived recently to shoot the campaign for her latest endorsement, Dear Face, a premium dietary supplement and anti-oxidant drink. She is the latest addition to endorse the beauty milk brand after Julia Barretto.“I still haven’t had a decent sleep for 40 hours,” Padilla lamented. “For almost two days, no sleep yet. We went into working right away.”Since Padilla is now based in the UK, Dear Face could not send the products to her. So she got to try the products when she arrived in Manila this week.Whatever product she endorses, Padilla makes it a point to initially scrutinize. “I asked a lot of things before I said yes,” she said.“Actually, I like hoarding skin care drinks when I travel to Japan or South Korea. A lot of people are giving me collagen drinks, especially the peach-flavored ones. I noticed, I easily gained weight whenever I take random collagen drinks.“I’m happy because Dear Face has a line that’s for slimming, L-Carnitine ones. So, I’ve been drinking it for the past four days. I haven’t gained weigh that’s why I’m very happy.”Padilla wishes to correct the misconception about collagen. “We equate the price for its potency or its efficiency. So, I did a lot of trial and error, even with make-up, the moisturizers I use.“I used to buy the most expensive skin care, but I would break out or it just wouldn’t match my skin texture. Hiyangan talaga. You really have to find what works best for you. Try different brands and figure out what’s best for you.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/04/22/bela-padilla-hopes-to-do-heist-film-or-psycho-thriller-with-cousin-daniel">Bela Padilla hopes to do heist film or psycho thriller with cousin Daniel</a></li></ul>Aside from her endorsement, Padilla is in town anew to shoot her latest film assignment, “Wish You Were the One,” a love story to be megged by Derick Cabrido.“Direk Derick has been directing a lot of suspense thrillers lately, so I think my movie with him will be his first foray into love stories,” Padilla said. She will be reunited with her perennial leading man, JC Santos, in “Wish You Were the One.”Padilla and Santos were paired in a number of romantic flicks in the past – from Jason Paul Laxamana’s “100 Daang Tula Para Kay Stella” (2017) and “The Day After Valentine’s” (2018) to Irene Villamayor’s “On Vodka, Beers and Regrets” (2020) and Padilla’s “366” (2022).She is now working on her next story for her own film production outfit, Risky Marmalade. “I have a core team that I like working with,” Padilla said. “Because I’m not based here, I allow them to accept projects elsewhere.“They work on a per-project basis. The last one that we did, ‘Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko,’ we shot it in South Korea, so we got a Korean counterpart for every key member of our staff. Kung saan kami nag-shoot, we always find their counterparts also.” For now, Padilla is contented that she has a house in the UK. “I feel the pandemic made the world so small. We’re all just citizens of the world. We don’t have to be locked in in one place.“Ang bilis ng AI [artificial intelligence] ngayon. It’s taking over everything and everyone. “Our world got smaller and smaller because of the pandemic. I feel that you can be based anywhere and still be completely functional as a person.“I had no time to spend my money then. I couldn’t even go to the mall and buy even just a jacket. I had to do everything online. I didn’t really experience shopping for myself. I would buy through a personal shopper.“I’m very happy I went through that. So, I was able to save. Now I have savings. It paid off. Like I said, I like investing in little things, like business with my brother. I like to experiment and try things. I don’t keep my eggs in just one basket.”Happily, Padilla has friends in the UK now. “We’re already four in the group,” she beamed. “I have a friend, Nicole, who lives upstairs from my pad. They are very objective with me.“Even if my friends know what my job in the Philippines is, it doesn’t affect our friendship. For them, it’s just a job.“I’ve seen a few of really big celebrities in the UK lately, like Ricky Gervais was there. They live such normal lives. People let them live a normal life.”Padilla’s romantic life is doing good, with her relationship with her Swiss boyfriend, Norman Bay, now going on for three years now, despite their long-distance relationship.Her constant travelling hardly affects their relationship. “He lives in Switzerland, while I live in London,” Padilla said. “It’s not like we see each other every day. So, it doesn’t affect him if I’m here in the Philippines or in London.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/02/23/23/bela-padilla-swiss-boyfriend-mark-3rd-anniversary">Bela Padilla, Swiss boyfriend mark 3rd anniversary</a></li></ul>Although she is a citizen legally in the UK, Padilla feels like a young girl again when she decided to be based in the UK.“I felt like seven years old again that you don’t know where to walk,” she admitted. “Things like that, I am re-learning everything.“Dito sa Manila, anywhere you bring me, hindi mo ‘ko pwedeng mabebenta dito. Taga Manila ako. Pero sa UK, I’m re-learning everything.”<div>Related video:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JZrz8Au6TcA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Actress-director-screenwriter Bela Padilla decided to leave for London and stayed there after ABS-CBN lost its franchise in 2020.