Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes are considered the “golden couple” of the Philippine entertainment industry in recent years. They came together through popular TV series that are very familiar to Vietnamese audiences such as Wild Dance, Mermaid Love Story, Dangerous Relations… Now that they are husband and wife, their happy married life has become the dream of many fans. On the occasion of Marian Rivera’s 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day (August 12) and Dingdong Dantes’ (August 2), let’s look back at their 10-year love story with ELLE.

Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes’ happy family of four. Photo: Marian Rivera’s Instagram.

Dingdong Dantes first tried his hand at the Philippine entertainment industry when he was just… 2 years old. After a period of acting in commercials and joining a dance group, Dingdong officially entered the film industry with his first role in Shake, Rattle and Roll V (1994), when he was only 14 years old. 3 years later, the TV series TGIS brought Dingdong to the GMA Network – the “Cupid” who would bring him and the love of his life together many years later.

While Dingdong Dantes’ career was soaring with a series of leading roles and a huge salary, Marian Rivera only took on her first role in 2005 in the long-running series Kung Mamahalin Mo Lang Ako ( If Only You Love Me ). By 2007, Marian Rivera had a chance to work on television projects for GMA Network. At that time, no one – including insiders – could have expected that this step would not only take Marian’s career to a new level, but also be an important turning point for her private life later on.

Two different pieces find each other

2007 marked the first meeting of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes – the most beloved on-screen couple in the Philippines, one of the most influential couples in Philippine and Asian showbiz today.

Marian and Dingdong first appeared together in the movie Wild Dance (2007).

Surpassing many other famous names at that time, talented Marian Rivera was chosen to play the female lead in the TV project Wild Dance – a series remade by GMA Network from the Mexican film of the same name. Meanwhile, Dingdong Dantes – then the number 1 bachelor in the Philippines as voted by Cosmopolitan – was chosen to play the male lead.

Dancing With The Stars has become the most successful primetime drama on Philippine television, an unexpected television phenomenon that competes directly with Korean and Chinese giants domestically and in many Asian countries, including Vietnam. The impressive achievement of Dancing With The Stars is the first peak in the careers of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, making their names associated with the titles of “Primetime Queen” and “Primetime King” of Philippine television.

Thanks to the “heat” of their first collaboration, the Marian – Dingdong couple became the target of many other film projects. Their on-screen love continued through many series: Mermaid Love Story (2008), Dangerous Liaisons (2009), Horizon With You (2010) and Mysterious Lover (2012).

Since their relationship in 2007, the couple has been continuously invited to collaborate on many different film, advertising, and event projects. Photo: Marian Rivera’s Instagram.

When they first started working together, Marian Rivera revealed that she was a bit disappointed when she found Dingdong Dantes to be “snobbish” and “unapproachable”: “We couldn’t find a common voice, not at all!”

However, Dingdong Dantes was the complete opposite. He was moved by his wife, feeling something “special” in Marian from the first touch. “When I held Marian in my arms, she was like clay molded to fit my hands. It was as if… my hand had its own place on her skin.”

In June 2009, after the movie Dangerous Liaisons , Marian and Dingdong became increasingly close, despite their not-so-good first impressions and years of maintaining a purely colleague relationship. The audience caught the two of them sometimes going to the gym, sometimes traveling abroad together, and many intimate gestures caused rumors of the couple’s “fake love in the movie, real love” to spread.

Married for many years, the couple still often go on sweet dates like when they first fell in love. Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

Two months later, on Marian Rivera’s 25th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day, the couple appeared in public hand in hand, officially confirming that they were dating. Dingdong shared: “We are happy together. We are both open to dating, having dinner together, watching movies… I helped Marian practice for her role in Darna. When she has time, she goes to the gym with me, I will show her what I know.”

In 2010, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera shared about their special love in an exclusive magazine interview. The relationship between the two progressed slowly. It turns out that first impressions, good or bad, are an important foundation for Marian and Dingdong’s love journey. Thanks to them, the two realized that, despite their differences and contradictions, they were perfect complements to each other.

“Whether we admit it or not, the truth remains: My weaknesses are his strengths; what I lack, he fills. So we have balance,” Marian Rivera explains about her love.

Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

With Marian, the quiet, reserved Dingdong became more and more playful and smiling. Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

Three times said “I do”

After 3 years of love, in August 2012, Dingdong Dantes prepared an elaborate proposal for Marian Rivera during a trip to Macau. That day, under a giant dome, surrounded by hundreds of colorful butterflies, Dingdong proposed to the woman he loved: “I’m 32 years old this year, I want to be with you forever, I want to be the father of your 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. I want to marry you” . Overwhelmed by the magnificent proposal scene, surrounded by butterflies – the animals he has always loved since he was a little girl, Marian choked up for a moment before saying: “I agree” .

After getting engaged in front of their families, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes returned to their busy schedules, deciding to announce their engagement properly to the public at the right time.

Two years later, as the engagement announcement neared, Dingdong believed that Marian deserved more than the proposal in Macau that year – which had been as beautiful as a dream. So he planned to surprise his fiancée with a second proposal, right on the stage of her dance show.

Photo: The Soshal Network.

On August 9, 2014, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera’s live television proposal shocked social networks and the media. In front of family, friends and all fans, Dingdong once again gently confessed his love: “I want to declare to the whole world how much I love you .” Marian was in tears.

On December 30, 2014, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes officially became husband and wife in a splendid wedding ceremony at a church in Quezon City, which is also the parish where the groom was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 and raised. The wedding ceremony was broadcast live with the participation of many famous names in the Philippine entertainment industry. Notably, even the current President of the Philippines – Mr. Benigno Aquino III – was present. The wedding of Marian – Dingdong was praised by domestic and international press as “Royal Wedding”, “Wedding of the Year” – a milestone to celebrate the fulfillment of a fairy tale love story.

Photo: Nice Print Photo.

Photo: Mayad Studios.

Nothing is more important than family happiness

Now, after nearly 5 years of living together and 10 years of passionate love, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes have built a happy, complete home together with 2 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren: their first daughter Zia, 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 2015, and their second son Ziggy, who is just 3 months old. The two little angels possess the beauty of a mixture of Filipino and Spanish from their parents, with white skin, bright eyes and long eyelashes.

Photo: Marian Rivera Instagram.

Since having 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, the two most famous actors in the Philippines have had to sacrifice their careers to some extent, just like any other couple. Marian and Dingdong put their family and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren first, followed by their careers. For them, this sacrifice is not a loss but an incomparable happiness.

Last year, when Marian was pregnant with their second 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, Dingdong decided to put his political career on hold to care for his wife and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. Marian recalled that she burst into tears when her husband whispered, “My love, you are my priority. You and our family.”

Dingdong Dantes always pampers his wife, especially when she is pregnant. Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

For Marian, the greatest joy is waking up every morning to find herself next to her husband and beloved 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥: “Every morning when I wake up, I look at my handsome husband who is still sleeping soundly. Next to me is Zia, she is so chubby and adorable. Her smile is wonderful. Thank God for giving me such a wonderful experience. This is truly a precious life. I love my job, but every time I come home, I just want to see my husband and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥.”

Last June, just one month after giving 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to Ziggy, Marian Rivera returned to work. In Marian’s Instagram post at that time, fans clearly saw how hard she worked to maintain her career while fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother to her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. When filming commercials away from her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, the young mother still brought her breast pump to use during breaks. Her daughter Zia was also present at the set. Her mother often brought her along to many filming sessions and events to conveniently take care of her and spend time together.

Baby Zia and her parents attended The Color Run Hero Tour 2018 event. Photo: Marian Rivera’s Instagram.

When she had her first daughter, Marian was always worried about leaving her. Once, when the couple went on a private date, she cried after only being away from her daughter for an hour and kept checking the security cameras in the house to see her daughter. During the first years of Zia’s life, Marian Rivera had countless film projects. She only participated in a few commercials and light entertainment programs.

By the time Ziggy was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧, Marian had become busier, but she had gained more experience as a mother to take care of both her career and her small family. She shared: “I know my shortcomings as a first-time mother, and I will not repeat them the second time. Before, I only focused on Zia, but now I know how to manage and balance everything. I dated Dingdong more and returned to work earlier than expected. Although I was sad to be away from my 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, I think I work for them.”

Each person has a hand, the couple together take care of and educate their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, preserving the warmth of the family. Photo: Instagram Marian Rivera.

Not only Marian, Dingdong Dantes also limits taking on many art projects to raise his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren with his wife. He admitted that he would “miss his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren like crazy” if he could not video call home every day when he had to be away from his wife and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren for long periods of time. “Marian is very good at taking care of 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, so I can rest assured even when I am not home. But it would be great if I could always be at home with my wife and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. Marian tells me everything, what they ate today, where they went.” 

Dingdong is also a husband who is known to pamper his wife, especially when she is pregnant. When he has free time, he will take the initiative to put on a facial mask for his wife, and wake up in the middle of the night to massage her if she is aching and can’t sleep. When Marian was pregnant, he volunteered to take care of all the housework, so that his wife only needed to focus on taking care of her pregnancy and completing her work schedule.

Both Dingdong and Marian have cut back on their work to spend time with their families. They often travel with their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. Photo: Marian Rivera’s Instagram.

After getting married, the love between Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes did not seem to fade but grew stronger. They cared for and looked after each other, enjoying the joy of simple things like the laughter of their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren and each other, the handshakes of encouragement when appearing together in public, the times sitting next to each other on the plane and chatting until they lost track of time… Whenever possible, Marian and Dingdong used actions to prove how much they loved each other, and did not forget to say thank you for the love they received.

As Marian Rivera once wrote on her personal Instagram: “The best relationship is the one where two people are both lovers and friends” . The love of the newlywed couple Marian – Dingdong is exactly like that. They love, accompany, sacrifice and grow together in their careers, marriage and journey of parenthood, like a bottle of fragrant wine that becomes sweeter and more intense with age.

Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.