Kat Ramnani was based in the US during the years Christian Bautista established a successful career as a singer, leaving her with no idea that he is a local celebrity when they met for the first time in 2016.
The couple, engaged in October 2017 after a year together, recalled the start of their relationship in an exclusive interview for the digital edition of Metro Weddings, published Wednesday on Metro.Style.
Ramnani explained: "I had been living in California, so I had no idea who he was. When we were introduced, I was told he was a singer. So I thought, he's an up-and-coming singer, I had no idea who he was. It was my first time to hear about him, because when Christian's career was starting, I was in California. I was living there since 2002. And I just came back to the Philippines in 2012. So those were the years when his career was built.
"When we were dating, he would take me to these really obscure restaurants. I thought, he's really an up-and-coming singer, because he is taking me to these places. 'Yun pala sini-secret n'ya."
It was after she mentioned to her friends Bautista's name that she learned that he was far from an up-and-comer. On the contrary, he already had been a popular balladeer for over a decade, with a dozen albums and countless TV appearances, when they were introduced.
Ramnani narrated: "So I told my friends, 'I am dating this guy, and he is a singer.' And they would ask, 'What's the name?' And I would say, 'You won't know him, he is up and coming. But he is cute, in fairness.' And I showed them a picture and they were like, 'Girl, ano ba? That's Christian Bautista!' So I googled him for an hour, and then I texted him, 'Hey . . . I googled you.' And then he replied with just a smiley face and I was like, 'Why didn't you tell me?'"
To this, Bautista answered: "Of course, I couldn't introduce myself naman na, 'Hi, I'm this guy . . . " He simply found it awkward.
In their joint interview with Metro Weddings, Ramnani and Bautista also talked about their shared love for running and fitness, and how they discovered their emotional compatibility. The two also recounted Bautista's wedding proposal, and shared how they're preparing for the big day.