MANILA — After going on hiatus from showbiz for nearly three years, Ellen Adarna said she has no plans of returning to the limelight anytime soon, as she embraces an important role behind the cameras.

Adarna, 32, became a first-time mom during her time away from the screen. She gave birth to her son, Elias, with her former co-star John Lloyd Cruz in June 2018.

For the first time since she resurfaced on social media, Adarna spoke at length about being a mother in an interview on radio station RX93.1 over the weekend.

The interview initially touched on Adarna's process of healing from depression and anxiety — the result of a "very dark" period in her life which she first revealed last week.

Now that she has recovered, Adarna was asked whether she is considering resuming her acting career.

"No, no," she said. "I don't want to say, like, forever, right? But definitely, not in the next seven years."

Adarna's reason? "I want to be with my son in his formative years. I'm a very hands-on mom."

Adarna noted that the public may be expecting that "this party girl is the same," given her past reputation, but she insisted that she is certain her focus would be on Elias.

Her routine with Elias has had adjustments since the coronavirus lockdown, she explained.

Currently, she wakes up around 5 a.m. and meditates for 30 minutes — a practice she picked up from a mental training in Bali which she credited for her recovery from depression.

"And then I go back to him and then wait until he wakes up," she said.

Throughout the day, Adarna does what many mothers to toddlers do — alternate between tending to the child and having "me time" whenever the baby is napping or playing with another companion.

"Me time," Adarna pointed out, "is essential to be a happy individual."

The nearly hour-long interview did not touch on Adarna's relationship with Cruz, amid reports that the two have split up.

Neither has gone on record to confirm the separation.