Sarah Geronimo was about to turn 26 when she and Matteo Guidicelli went public with their relationship.
"Si Matteo nga po [ang boyfriend ko]," the popstar royalty said in an exclusive interview with the now-defunct ABS-CBN show, The Buzz 15, in July 2014.
"Bilang mag-26 na ako, gusto ko lang—parang na-realize ko sa sarili ko na it's time to decide na maging normal.
"Maging normal na tao, maging normal na babae, maging normal sa emosyon ko. Di ba, there's nothing wrong with it, di ba?"
At the time, the VIVA artist said she wanted to be more true to herself and be more vocal.
Paraphasing a song, Sarah said, "If happy little blue birds fly, bakit naman ako hindi din, di ba?"
In the same interview, host Toni Gonzaga asked Sarah about the lesson of love she learned from her parents Mommy Divine and Daddy Delfin.
The performer-actress answered, "Ang parents kasi, hinding-hindi natatapos ang kanilang pag-aalala na, especially tayong mga babae, tayo noh?
"Sa lalake talaga, walang mawawala, e. Sorry, ah!
"Pero kailangan talaga, alam natin kung paano pag-ingatan mga sarili natin.
"Of course, we are not perfect. Tao tayo, e, di ba? Mga babae tayo. And part of loving is talagang being with that someone, and iba, iba talaga na kasama mo siya.
"Pero importante na matutunan mo ang self-control, lahat.
"Unang-una sa lahat, iyong faith mo sa Diyos na hindi dapat minamadali ang bagay-bagay, di ba?"
Sarah also talked about the lesson of love she learned from her now-husband Matteo.
"Life is short, e. Mga artista tayo, mga public figures tayo, pero it is also our right to live our life to fullest, di ba?
"Experience life, enjoy life, grow, mature, and be a 26-year-old."
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A RELATIONSHIP "WORTH KEEPING"
Sarah and Matteo have consistently preferred to keep their relationship private.
In the same interview with The Buzz 15, Sarah was upfront in saying, "Sabi ko sa sarili ko, oo, sasabihin. Aadmit ko. Pero ang details, sana sa amin na lang...
"Admit natin, 'tapos iyon na, iyon na. Wala ng follow-up na questions para hindi rin sinasabi ng mga tao, 'Ito naman si Sarah, sobrang deny-deny, ganyan.'
"Hindi rin kasi nila naiintindihan lahat kung ano pinagdadaanan natin, e. Kung ano iyong rason bakit may mga bagay na kailangan ipribado muna.
"Saka, kumbaga, iyong mga actions namin. Lumalabas naman kami, hindi naman kami tumatago. Akala ko magiging enough iyon na parang automatic na iyon."
Toni then asked Sarah, was Matteo someone "worth keeping?"
Sarah's immediate answer: "Siyempre, naman.
"Lahat naman tayo—ako, siyempre, pagka nagmahal ka ng isang tao, siyempre lagi mo tinitignan, worth keeping, di ba?"
What did Sarah admire about Matteo at the time?
She said, "Matiyaga."
Sarah and Matteo became a couple in September 2013.
Matteo asked for Sarah's hand in marriage sometime in 2018, and she said yes.
They celebrated this milestone in private, and kept it secret for a year.
Matteo would eventually announce their engagement in November 2019.
On February 20, 2020, Sarah and Matteo were married in a secret wedding ceremony.