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A post shared by Janine Marie (@tugononjanine) on Nov 3, 2020 at 4:09am PST

MANILA – Former beauty queen Janine Tugonon is not shying away from talking about her love life.

In an interview with G3 San Diego on Monday, Tugonon happily shared that she is currently in a relationship with an Italian-Belgian man for four years now.

Tugonon also shared how they met when she decided to move to New York from Los Angeles.

“Kasi I was living in LA. Nung lumipat ako sa New York, meron pa akong two months remaining sa apartment ko sa LA. So I was looking for someone to rent the place,” she began her story.

“I asked this one guy, ‘Are you still looking for a place?’ He said, ‘No, not anymore I already have a place. But I know someone who’s looking for a place.’ That someone was him, it was Eric,” she added.

Tugonon said her now-boyfriend rented her place for a month and that’s how their love story started.

“Mineet ko siya kasi I still have things sa LA noon. Doon nag-start. Parang ako 'yung landlord niya for a month. May nakita daw siyang picture na nagandahan siya,” she said, laughing.

According to Tugonon, her boyfriend has never been to the Philippines but he has been telling her that he wants to move to her hometown.

When asked if she’s open to that idea too, Tugonon said: “I don’t know yet. To be honest, I really don’t know. Pero siya, 'yun nga ang sabi niya. Bakit daw hindi na lang kami sa Pilipinas, magtayo na lang ng business. Sabi ko, ‘You haven’t lived there so you don’t know how it is there.’ Tapos sabi niya, ‘It’s paradise there.’ Gustong gusto kasi niya 'yung beach,” she said.

Tugonon has been living in the United States for seven years now. After finishing first runner-up in the 2012 Miss Universe pageant, she immediately moved to Los Angeles.

On why she left the Philippines, Tugonon said: “That time kasi I’ve always wanted to try living abroad. Simula bata pa ako, I always wonder kung paano ang buhay sa ibang bansa. I was choosing either Europe or US but I know more people sa US so I had more help.”

Tugonon said she also chose to live in America because she got a scholarship for acting at that time.

Nonetheless, it’s her desire to settle someplace else that was the major factor.

“I feel like 'yung personality ko din, I want change. Gusto ko ng challenge, ng change,” she said.