Nadine Samonte engaged to non-showbiz boyfriend

Will Nadine Samonte be the next showbiz bride after Shamcey Supsup, who is marrying her Fil-Chinese boyfriend in December?

The answer could be yes.  The star of TV5’s upcoming series “The Gift” was wearing an engagement ring when she attended the new show’s story conference on Thursday, August 29 at Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.

Nadine admitted that her businessman-fiance Richard Chua surprised her by presenting  the ring last July, when he knelt before her, and asked, “Will you marry me?” while a video was recording the big occasion.

The proposal

Richard chose Sofitel Hotel as the setting of his proposal, and the scenic Manila Bay as backdrop.

Nadine recalls, “May papanoorin kami – yung  ‘Dirty Dancing’ sa CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) pero hindi ko alam na hindi natuloy. So nagpunta kami sa  Sofitel for coffee. With us were my mom, brother ko and his mom.  Nagkayayaan kaming lumabas kami sa pool area.”

To Nadine’s surprise, Richard took out a video camera and trained it on her. When she asked what it was all about, Richard told her he just wanted to take videos.

Turns out he was preparing the video for the big event leading to the proposal by Manila Bay.

“Tinanong niya ako, ‘How much do you love me?’ So sabi ko ‘I love you so much!’ Then he asked me to take a video of him. He asked me to ask him how much I love him.  Ang sagot niya, ‘More than anything else in the world.”

Then, it happened.  Nadine recounted how flustered Richard looked when he asked Nadine, “Pag may binigay ako sayo, may surprise ako.”

Without  warning, Richard dropped to his knees and popped the question.

Nadine's reaction

Unlike other girls, Nadine didn’t cry.  She was even amused.

“Hindi ko mainintidihan ang reaction ko. Natawa ako kasi yung singsing baligtad. It’s so funny! So sinasabi ko sa kanya, ‘Seryoso ka ba?”

That’s how Nadine started wearing the ring which has never left her finger since.

“Kailangan parati kong suot ito.”

Getting engaged was so unexpected for Nadine, who said in one interview that she doesn’t want to invest her time in the wrong man – until Richard came along.

“We have the same taste – in movies and music.

Magkaugali kami. I have this  gut feel that he’s the one.”

Twelve-year gap

The 12-year age gap between her and her 36-year-old fiance doesn’t scare Nadine a bit.

“He’s more mature, mas stable na. Ako ang baby.”

Richard coined the word ‘Bubu’ as their term of endearment.

“Bu means love, so it means love, love,” Nadine explains.

The sparkle in her eyes tell the rest of the story.

(The romance drama ‘The Gift,’ which also stars Ogie Alcasid, Leo Martinez, Candy Pangilinan and Arci Munoz premieres  on TV5 in October)