October 2003 may be memorable for the ex-Kapuso, now Kapamilya star, Angel Locsin. It was in this month and year that FHM magazine invited the then Click star to be their sexy cover girl for the first time.
The newbie Angel, who must have owed some of her great physique to being top swimmer from grade school to high school, was hailed in 2003 as the 10th sexiest Pinay by the popular men’s magazine.
Little did anyone know that in two years’ time, she would rank number one.
In October 2005, FHM again placed Ms Locsin on its glossy cover. And she was more than worthy of the banner page this time—she had the plum spot as FHM’s sexiest Pinay. From tenth spot to sixth in 2004, Angel Locsin made 2005 her year in the FHM list. It was no small feat.
At 18 when FHM first discovered her as its cover girl, aside from Click, Angel was virtually a neophyte in the entertainment industry. Her meager claim to fame came from being cast as Richard Gomez’s daughter in the movie Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw and from modeling for a 30-second Johnson’s Baby Cologne commercial.
“Pero nagpapa-girl na rin ako ng kaunti,” gushed the young actress then, when asked about the changes taking place as she came of age, “Kasi yung role ko may crush sa role played by Railey Valeroso [in Click].”
So what made the difference? Her high-flying career, that’s what.
Angel Locsin soared to new career heights via her character Alwina in the first-ever local fanteserye, the 2004’s hit, Mulawin. As a winged creature, she garnered a lot of fans—men, women, adults and tykes—and became a household name.
Giving Angel more popularity was her reprisal of Mars Ravelo’s beloved Darna character in 2005. If Alwina gave her the skies, Darna gave her the galaxy. Angel Locsin, then a GMA-7 Kapuso star, became unbelievably famous; no one at that point could have contested her as being the hottest young star.
In her 2005 FHM interview, she enthused: “In all honesty, hindi na talaga ako nagaambisyon pa nang higit sa kinatatayuan ko ngayon. I’m perfectly happy and contented with the blessings that are coming my way now.
“Pero kung bibiyayaan pa ako at ang aking pamilya ng pagkakataon para mag-improve pa, magpapasalamat siyempre ako ng lubusan. I’m not from a wealthy family. Lahat ng pinagpapaguran ko, I give talaga para matulungan ang pamilya ko. Kung anong meron, okay na ako roon.”
Born Angelica Colmenares on April 23, 1985 in Bulacan, her parents separated when she was 14. The young Angel was discovered when she was out malling with friends.
Forward a few years, she was a big star.
The Angel or Darna frenzy actually reached a point where the actress’s likeness as the superheroine could be bought in malls and tiangges alike. Her TV series, Darna, broke records in the ratings game with AGB and AC Nielsen reporting a 52.1 share for Darna, the highest that a show has ever reached so far.
Fame, by far, was not finished with Angel.
After Darna ended in 2006, GMA-7 gave her the role Sabina in Majika. Another telefantasya, it was another hit for the young star who at that point could seem to do nothing wrong.
In the series, Asian Treasures in early 2007, Angel was bestowed a spot in the high leagues as she played a character opposite veteran action star Robin Padilla.
For FHM’s sexiest gal, everything was pretty much smooth sailing at that point. Not only did she dominate TV, she also ventured into film, starring in: 2003’s Mano Po 3 and Sigaw, Let the Love Begin (2005); 2006’s Mulawin: The Movie, I Will Always Love You, TxT, and Mano Po 5, and The Promise (2007).
She confessed, “I love what I do so I really don’t feel weighed down by work. To me, without Mulawin and Darna, wala po ako rito ngayon.”
But in March 2007, when Angel’s exclusive contract with GMA-7 expired, the star opted to move to the competition.
Angel flies the coop. "Hindi na po ako masaya," revealed Angel Locsin in August of 2007, when asked about her decision to move from GMA-7 to rival ABS-CBN. "Hindi na po ako masaya. Importante po sa akin ‘yung tiwala. Napakaimportante sa akin nun... at nawala ‘yon, e.
