Carla Abellana jokes about previous 7-week marriage: '5 more weeks, mabi-beat ko na 'yung sarili kong record'
Carla Abellana radiated happiness and laughter when she poked fun at her previous marriage and her "personal record."
In a Jan. 14 interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the actress, who married her high school sweetheart Dr. Reginald Santos in December, joked that she is looking forward to her new wedded life outlasting her former one.
"So far, we're married two weeks. So konti na lang, mabi-meat ko na 'yung record ko. Dati, seven weeks... Ngayon, five more weeks, mabi-beat ko na 'yung sarili kong record," she quipped.
The actress married co-actor Tom Rodriguez in October 2021. They announced their divorce in June 2022.
Apart from beating her personal marriage record, Abellana shared she's looking forward to experiencing everything a married life has to offer.
"Whether it's the honeymoon stage, whether it's a challenge na dumaan. Whatever it is that's part of getting married, experiencing married life for the first time, mas excited ako how it will play out," she said.
Abellana and Santos' love story
Abellana and Santos' love story is the stuff romcoms are made of.
She and Santos, the chief medical officer of a private hospital, were high school sweethearts. She was a freshman and he was a junior, both at OB Montessori in Greenhills, when they got together.
But Santos was determined to get into med school, which placed the relationship at a crossroads.
"Pinaliwanag niya na he was having a hard time sa kanyang academics," Abellana said. "Sabi niya kinakailangan niyang mag-focus sa kanyang studies. Of course, I understood at that time. But it was still a breakup, so masakit pa rin."
They parted ways without animosity and without any expectations.
"In retrospect, ngayon na-realize ko, medyo brave nga po eh. Kasi kung iba pa 'yan, ipipilit pa nila 'yung relationship. Or baka na-compromise na 'yung kanyang studies," said Abellana.
They didn't keep in touch until more than 20 years later, "around 2022 or 2023," when Santos sent Abellana a Christmas greeting on social media out of the blue. She greeted him back and thought that was that.
"At that time, I was very vulnerable... I was very doubtful of people. Hirap akong mag-trust sa mga paligid. I didn't welcome men or suitors or dates back then. May guard pa; meron pang wall," said Abellana.
She and Santos reconnected around the time Abellana was still reeling from the effects of her first marriage. It turned out that Santos had similar life experiences, having just come off a long-term relationship himself, which ended in a broken engagement.
A fresh beginning
At Abellana's first face-to-face catch-up with Santos after high school, she was sick and he brought her medicines.
"He was very serious. Very 'doctor' 'yung kanyang dating. Very formal... Nagtatanong, 'On a scale of one to 10, [what's] your pain level?'" she recalled.
"Parang walang dumaan na time. It's the same person. Parang hindi po more than 20 years 'yung lumipas na panahon. It's as if we're back in high school," she added. "I was very comfortable around him."
It took a while, though, for them to start dating, as Abellana had to work on breaking down her walls. But, according to her, Santos took it all in stride and never rushed her, only saying, "Depende sa 'yo kung kailan ka lang ready."
Over six months would pass before Abellana and Santos would take the plunge and start dating.
He eventually told Abellana, "The timing couldn't have been [more] perfect because iba tayo noon as compared to today. We're both our best versions of ourselves already. Ang dami na nating lessons na natutunan in life."
One of the many things Abellana is looking forward to is becoming a mother. It is a journey she began even before marrying Santos.
In late March 2025, the actress shared about her experience freezing her eggs to preserve their fertility for future use. Santos was already around at the beginning.
"He was there; he supported me. Kulang na lang, pati sa OR nandu'n siya... At times, he did the actual injections on me," said Abellana about the self-administered hormone injections needed for the duration of the egg-freezing process.
For now, Abellana is basking in her honeymoon glow, but is also determined to protect her marriage and her "very private" husband from public scrutiny.
