Jumping into marriage was a "'major, major' lesson learned" for Face to Face host, Amy Perez.
Amy exchanged "I do's" with singer and ex-South Border vocalist Brix Ferraris several years back, only to part ways because of growing differences.
The Supreme Court, in a July 17, 2006 resolution, denied Amy's petition to declare the marriage null and void on the basis of "psychological incapacity."
It may be easy to brand the marriage as a "mistake," but Amy feels it's not fair to describe her past experience callously .
"Hindi 'yon mistake," Amy told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) and other entertainment reporters over lunch at Mario's restaurant on Tomas Morato in Quezon City.
"Hindi 'yon mistake kasi nagkaroon ako ng mabait at guwapo na anak resulta ng pagmamahal na 'yon. So, it's not a major, major mistake, but a major, major lesson sa buhay ko at sa lahat ng babae na kilalanin muna ang lalaki bago magpakasal."
The 41-year-old host was referring to her son with Brix named Adi. Both Amy and Adi have been estranged from the singer for years but she encourages her son to communicate with his father through Internet social networking sites.
SHARING LIFE LESSONS. Amy eventually found a new love in radio reporter Carlo Castillo. The couple's son Sean Kyle was born on December 19, 2008 at St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City.
Meeting Carlo, said Amy, made her rediscover the wonders of life and love.
"The separation [with Brix] was very tough," confessed Amy. "But one has to move on, especially since may anak ako and I have to provide and make sure that my child grows in a loving environment."
Fortunately, Carlo entered the picture and was able to fill in the space vacated by Brix as a father. Domestic bliss made Amy consider "showbiz retirement" to live a quiet life with her family.
Fate, however, had other plans and Amy received an offer from rejuvenated network TV5 to host a new show they were conceptualizing earlier this year. That show turned out to be the country's first "talak-serye" titled Face to Face.
The show was launched on March 22, 2010. It didn't take long before viewership started catching up, making Face to Face a legitimate force in the ratings game both in the morning and late evening timeslots.
Being caught in the middle of a heated argument between warring parties is not exactly a glamorous occupation, but someone has to do the job, as they say. When it comes to counseling, Amy leaves that to the Trio-Tagapayo composed of a spiritual adviser, lawyer, and psychologist.
"Ako talaga kailangan ko magbasa ng mga self-help books kasi, di ba, ang tanging mai-impart ko lang sa kanila lagi is kung ano 'yong lessons na natutunan ko sa buhay ko. So dun lang ako kasi hindi naman ako graduate ng psychology, although my course is A.B. Psychology. Siguro ang maibabahagi ko lang is kung ano 'yong pinagdaanan ko sa buhay.
