At 52, Belle Brillantes is the picture of contentment.
A touch of unease surfaced when she found herself in front of the camera, but there was a quiet grace in the way she answered questions.
“Hindi ako sanay. Sa TikTok, ang dali. Sa underwater, ang dali. Yung talagang pictorial, ang hirap pala,” she admitted after the first round of shooting, when she could barely smile because it felt “nakaka-awkward.”
The interview took place on the same day her daughter, Andrea Brillantes, did PEP Spotlight with Enrique Gil to promote their series A Secret in Prague, now airing on Netflix and TV5.
Read: Love, Mom: Belle and Andrea Brillantes
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked Andrea’s manager, Ms. Shirley Kuan, if Belle could also sit down for an interview in time for Mother’s Month.
Fortunately, she was available—and she gladly obliged.
“Ibang-iba po pala kayo up close,” this writer remarked.
The observation stemmed from memories of the Belle of a decade ago—a woman who embodied the image of a rockstar mom.
She once accompanied Andrea to a party, and the two partied like they were barkada.
“Ah, oo. Dati, mas tutok ako kay Blythe [Andrea’s real name]. Pero malaki na siya, and she’s trained to be independent.
“Dati rin, kapag may hindi magandang news about Andrea, hindi ko talaga mapigilan ang sarili ko.
"Tumatawag ako nun sa ABS-CBN boss. ‘Oh my god ano’ng ginagawa niyo sa anak ko?’
“Rockstar mom ako, pero kapag nasasaktan ang anak ko, hindi ko mapigilan.”
What changed?
“Siguro kasi, mas naging busy ako sa sports. Kumbaga, nagkaroon ako ng world.”
Read: Andrea Brillantes, Enrique Gil on love, secrets, settling down
Belle Brillantes Finds Peace and Purpose in Athletics
In 2022, at 48, Belle Brillantes discovered a passion she never expected to find.
It started with freediving.
“Parang accidentally ano… nung nag-introduction ako, napansin ng mga coaches na mahaba yung breath hold ko.
“So, in-invite nila one time na i-test yung breath hold ko, and then I did a four-minute breath hold.
“So sabi nila, ‘Would you like to join a competition?’ Okay. So nung nag-join ako, nakuha ko yung national record.”
That was in 2023, when Belle recorded a breath hold of six minutes and six seconds.
What began as a hobby soon became an escape, shielding her from the noise and negativity that would often surface whenever her daughter became the subject of public discussion.
Underwater, she found stillness.
“Kasi kapag nasa ilalim ka, ang ganda. Talagang makakalimutan mo halimbawa yung mga bashers, yung mga hindi magandang nangyayari.”
For a while, the sport quieted her restless heart.
But in 2024, an issue pulled her away from freediving.
“Ito yung nagkakagulo na kay Blythe nun, yung mga isyu sa kanya,” she began, referring to the publicized breakup of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, a.k.a. KathNiel.
Belle was just hours away from a competition when she received a phone call from Andrea.
Her first instinct was to pack her bags and fly back to Manila.
But her daughter urged her to stay and compete.
By the time she entered the water, her emotions had already taken a toll.
“Yun yung ano, nag-dive ako na iyak ako nang iyak kasi bina-bash siya.
"Tapos yun yung sumagot ako sa isang basher.
“Umiiyak ako. Nasira yung confidence, yung morale ko. I wanted to go home na lang.”
She finished with a breath hold of 5:40—not her personal best.
It would be the last time she competed in Static Apnea (STA), a freediving discipline in which athletes float motionless underwater and hold their breath for as long as possible.
Instead, Belle shifted her focus to the dynamic disciplines, where freedivers swim underwater horizontally on a single breath, testing not time but distance.
“Pero yun nga, parang na-burnout ako kaya nag-running ako, nag-swimming ako. Nag-aral akong mag-swimming kasi hindi ako marunong.
“Then nag-two-kilometer swim ako sa Batangas. My God, napgtanto ko. Ang tanda ko na pero ang lakas ko pala.”
Not long after, Belle took on another challenge: triathlon.
It was in the sport that she discovered the full extent of her athletic potential.
“Surprisingly, nagta-Top 4 ako, nag-podium ako twice for my age category. Nahahabol ko yung mga bagets sa five kilometers. Oh my god, there’s something wrong with me. Puwede akong maging competitive sa sports.”
The results surprised even her.
What was her children’s reaction?
“The one time nag-usap kami ni Blythe, parang sinabi ko sa kanya na, ‘Uy, may bagong akong sport ngayon. I'm a triathlete now.’
“Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘I swim and I run now. Soon biking na. Bumili na ako ng bike.’
“Sabi ni Blythe, ‘Depressed ka ba?’
“Hindi ako depressed. Para lang, you know, enjoy lang ako.”
Sports also made her give up smoking, cold turkey. She occasionally drinks cocktails.
Belle continued: “At saka I like, I like the discipline. I like waking up at 4:00 A.M. tapos go to bed at 9:00 P.M.
“Minsan, sobrang napu-frustrate sila Blythe, mga friends ko, kasi hindi na ako sumasagot sa phone pag past 9 P.M.”
This writer pointed out that people who get enough sleep and turn in early often enjoy better mental well-being.
She nodded.
“Siguro, that’s parang helping myself. Ako kasi yung unang tumitiklop pagdating kay Blythe. Pag may nangyayari, affected talaga ako.
“So, naging outlet din yung sports. Pag abala ako sa sports, hindi lang yung issue yung iniisip ko.
“It helped me focus sa ibang bagay.
“It helped me with my relationship with myself and my kids na hindi dapat sabay-sabay. Natutunan ko yun. Pag kunwari ang galit yung mga anak ko, hindi ako sumasabay. Parang okay lang.
“Sa sports ko natutunan yung ganung attitude. Ngayon, ngayon mas kalmado na ako. Dati kasi, talagang nagpi-freak out ako.
“So yung mga pagpatol sa bashers, not anymore.”
Her next goal is to join a tennis tounament.
“Ngayon, two months na ako nagti-training. Tapos, sinabi ko na sa coach ko na lahat ng pinapasok ko nun, nagiging competitive ako. So, gusto kong mag-tournament.”
BELLE, A GRATEFUL MOM
Competing in sports at a serious level requires not only time and discipline, but also financial means.
Belle acknowledged how fortunate she is to have the support that allows her to pursue her passions.
“Oo. Magastos. Kaya alam mo, laking pasalamat ko kay Blythe, binigyan niya ako ng sariling pangkabuhayan. May paupahan ako.
“At yun ang kagandahan sa kanya kasi bago siya bumukod, napagawa niya yung bahay namin. Kumbaga, inisip niya talaga ang pamilya.”
Now, almost an empty nester, she watches her children build lives of their own.
Her daughter Kayla is now married.
“May apo na ako sa kanya. So nasa ibang bahay na siya.”
Her eldest, Nina, drops by from time to time.
“Sometimes she goes home.”
Andrea already has a place of her own. They talk every day and see each other at least once a week.
Her only son, Kismet, continues to live with her. “Parang siya ang bunso. Nag-aaral siya ng gaming development.”
Midway through the conversation, Belle was asked about something she had once said—that she no longer planned to get married again.
Does she still feel the same way now?
“Ngayon na mas matanda na ako, hindi na ako yung nag-aabang sa phone or nag-i-stalk kung saan nanggaling.
“Wala na akong kailangan. Nandoon na ako sa point na manood lang kami Netflix, okay na.
“I think ready na ako. Gusto ko na ulit mag-asawa.”
For now, Belle is content to let life unfold as it may.
Having discovered new passions, new strengths, and new possibilities in her 50s, she feels that life is far from winding down.
If anything, it is only just beginning.
