MANILA – Dionne Monsanto opened up about her return to acting as part of the cast of “Unbreak My Heart,” a product of the partnership among GMA, ABS-CBN, and Viu.
In an exclusive interview with Push, Monsanto said she was surprised at how much she ended up missing acting, admitting that she hadn't anticipated feeling that way.
“Momentarily returning to acting was wild. I didn’t think I would miss it as much as I did. The energy on set still invigorates me. Doing an acting project now that I’m a mom involves a lot of scheduling and planning,” she said.
Fortunately, her sister was also in Switzerland at the time she had to film her scenes.
“So, when I was on set, she was able to look after my daughter on days that my husband had to work,” she said.
On what made her agree to do the role after retiring from showbiz a couple of years ago, she said: “Accepting the project wasn’t hard at all. I mean, this is a very historic collaboration of ABS-CBN, GMA, and Viu. I’m more than and eternally grateful to be part of it.”
The former "Pinoy Big Brother" (PBB) housemate is now based in Switzerland and recently gave birth to her daughter last April 18.
She married Ryan Stalder in March 2021. The two started dating in 2018, she said, but have known each other since 2007, the same year she entered showbiz through the reality show “PBB.”
While their family is now based abroad, Monsanto also told Push how happy she is to be back in the Philippines with her daughter for a vacation.
“Coming to the Philippines after more than two years of living abroad is something I’ve been so excited about. I missed my family and long time friends so much. I missed Filipino food. I missed the beach. But I did not miss sitting in traffic for hours though,” she said laughing.
Moving forward, Monsanto said she and her husband plan to fly back to the Philippines at least once a year so they can expose their daughter to the Filipino culture.
“It is important for us that she knows her roots. So far, I have taken her to my hometown, to the public markets I went to with my mom to buy meat and vegetables, and to the places where I played at as a child.”
Apart from "PBB," Monsanto is best known for her performance in the ABS-CBN drama series “Tubig at Langis.”