Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes are considered the “golden couple” of the Philippine entertainment industry in recent years. They came together through popular TV series that are very familiar to audiences such as Wild Dance, Mermaid Love Story, Dangerous Relations… Now that they are husband and wife, their happy married life has become the dream of many fans. On the occasion of Marian Rivera’s birthday (12/08) and Dingdong Dantes’ (02/08), let’s look back at their 10-year love story together.

Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes’ happy family of four. Photo: Instagram Marian Rivera.

Dingdong Dantes first tried his hand at the Philippine entertainment industry when he was just… 2 years old. After a period of acting in commercials and joining a dance group, Dingdong officially entered the film industry with his first role in Shake, Rattle and Roll V (1994), when he was only 14 years old. 3 years later, the TV series T.G.I.S. brought Dingdong to the GMA Network – the “Cupid” who would bring him and the love of his life together many years later.

While Dingdong Dantes’ career was on the rise with a series of leading roles and a “huge” salary, Marian Rivera took on her first role in 2005 in the long-running series Kung Mamahalin Mo Lang Ako (If Only You Love Me). By 2007, Marian Rivera was involved in television projects for GMA Network. At that time, no one – including those involved – could have expected that this step would not only take Marian’s career to a new level, but also be an important turning point for her personal life later on.

Two different pieces of the puzzle find each other

2007 marked the first meeting of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes – the most beloved on-screen couple in the Philippines, one of the most influential couples in Philippine and Asian showbiz today.

Marian and Dingdong first appeared together in the movie Wild Dancing (2007).

Surpassing many other famous names at that time, the talented Marian Rivera was given the female lead role in the TV project Wild Dancing – a series remade by GMA Network from the Mexican movie of the same name. Dingdong Dantes – at that time the number 1 bachelor in the Philippines as voted by Cosmopolitan – was chosen to play the male lead.

Wild Dancing became the most successful “primetime” movie on the Philippine small screen, a television phenomenon that unexpectedly competed directly with the “big guys” of Korean and Chinese movies domestically and in many Asian countries, including Vietnam. The impressive achievement of Wild Dancing was the first peak in the career of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, making their names associated with the titles “Queen of Primetime” and “King of Primetime” of Philippine television.

Thanks to the “heat” of their first collaboration, the Marian – Dingdong couple became the target of many other film projects. Their on-screen love continued through many series: Mermaid Love Story (2008), Dangerous Liaisons (2009), Horizon With You (2010) and Mysterious Lover (2012).
Since their relationship in 2007, the couple has been continuously invited to collaborate in many different film, advertising, and event projects. Photo: Instagram Marian Rivera.

When they first started working together, Marian Rivera revealed that she was a bit disappointed when she found Dingdong Dantes to be “snobbish” and “unapproachable”: “We couldn’t find a common voice, not at all!”.

However, Dingdong Dantes was completely the opposite. He was moved by his wife, feeling something “special” in Marian from the first touch. “When I held Marian in my arms, she was like clay molded to fit my hand. It was as if… my hand had its own place on her skin.”

In June 2009, after the movie Dangerous Liaison, Marian and Dingdong became increasingly close, despite their not-so-good first impressions and years of maintaining a purely colleague relationship. The audience saw the two of them sometimes going to the gym, sometimes traveling abroad together, and many intimate gestures caused rumors of the couple’s “fake love, real love” to spread.

Married for many years, the couple still often go on sweet dates like when they first fell in love. Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

Two months later, on Marian Rivera’s 25th birthday, the couple appeared in public hand in hand, officially confirming that they were dating. Dingdong shared: “We are happy together. We are both open to dating, having dinner together, watching movies… I help Marian practice for her role in Darna. When she has time, she goes to the gym with me, I will show her what I know.”

In 2010, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera shared about their special love in an exclusive interview with the magazine. The relationship between the two progressed slowly. It turns out that first impressions, whether good or bad, are an important foundation for Marian and Dingdong’s love journey. Thanks to them, the two realized that, because of their differences and contradictions, they were perfect complements to each other.

“Whether we admit it or not, the truth remains: My weaknesses are his strengths; what I lack, he fills. So we have balance,” Marian Rivera explains about her love.

Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

With Marian, the quiet, reserved Dingdong became more and more playful and smiling. Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

Saying “I do” three times

After 3 years of dating, in August 2012, Dingdong Dantes prepared an elaborate proposal for Marian Rivera during a trip to Macau. That day, under a giant dome, surrounded by hundreds of colorful butterflies, Dingdong proposed to the woman he loved: “I am 32 years old this year, I want to be with you forever, I want to be the father of your children. I want to marry you”. Overwhelmed by the magnificent proposal scene, surrounded by butterflies – the animal she has always been passionate about since she was a little girl, Marian choked up for a while before saying: “I do”.

After getting engaged in front of their families, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes returned to their busy schedules, deciding to announce their engagement properly to the public at the right time. Two years later, as the engagement announcement approached, Dingdong believed that Marian deserved more than the proposal in Macau that year – the proposal that was already as beautiful as a dream. So he planned to surprise his fiancée with a second proposal, right on the stage of her dance show.

Photo: The Soshal Network.

On August 9, 2014, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera’s live television proposal shocked social networks and the media. In front of family, friends and all fans, Dingdong once again gently confessed his love: “I want to declare to the whole world how much I love you.” Marian was in tears.

On December 30, 2014, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes officially became husband and wife in a lavish wedding at a church in Quezon City, which is also the parish where the groom was born and raised. The wedding was broadcast live with the participation of many famous names in the Philippine entertainment industry. Notably, even the current President of the Philippines – Mr. Benigno Aquino III – was present. Marian – Dingdong’s wedding was praised by domestic and international press as “Royal Wedding”, “Wedding of the Year” – a milestone marking the perfect anniversary of a fairy tale love story.

Photo: Nice Print Photo.

Photo: Mayad Studios.

Nothing is more important than family happiness

Up to now, after nearly 5 years of living together and 10 years of passionate love, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes have built a happy, complete home together with 2 children: their first daughter Zia, born in 2015, and their second son Ziggy, who is just 3 months old. The two little angels possess the beauty of a mixture of Filipino and Spanish from their parents, with white skin, bright eyes and long eyelashes.

Photo: Instagram Marian Rivera.

Since having children, the two brightest actors on the Philippine screen have had to sacrifice their careers to some extent, just like any other couple. Marian and Dingdong put their family and children first, followed by their careers. For them, that sacrifice is not a loss but an incomparable happiness.

Last year, when Marian was pregnant with her second child, Dingdong decided to put his plans to pursue political activities on hold to take care of his wife and children. Marian recounted that she burst into tears when her husband whispered: “My love, you are my priority. You and our family.”

Dingdong Dantes always pampers his wife, especially when she is pregnant. Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

For Marian, the greatest joy is waking up every morning to find herself next to her husband and beloved child: “Every morning when I wake up, I look at my handsome husband who is still sleeping soundly. Next to me is Zia, she is so chubby and adorable. Her smile is wonderful. Thank God for giving me such a wonderful experience. This is truly a precious life. I love my job, but every time I come home, I just want to see my husband and child.”

Last June, just one month after giving birth to baby Ziggy, Marian Rivera returned to work. In Marian’s Instagram post at that time, fans clearly saw how hard she tried to maintain her career while fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother to her children. When filming commercials away from her child, the young mother still brought her breast pump to use during breaks. Daughter Zia was also present at the studio. She was often brought along by her mother to many filming sessions and events so that she could take care of her and spend time together.

Baby Zia was with her parents at The Color Run Hero Tour 2018. Photo: Instagram Marian Rivera.

When she had her first daughter, Marian was always worried about leaving her child. Once, the couple went on a private date, and after only being away from her child for an hour, she cried and kept checking the security camera in the house to see her child. During the first years of baby Zia’s life, Marian Rivera’s film projects could not be counted on one hand. She only participated in a few commercials and light entertainment programs.

By the time baby Ziggy was born, although she was busier, Marian had more experience as a mother to take care of both her career and her small family. She shared: “I know my shortcomings when I was a first-time mother, and I will not repeat them the second time. Before, I only focused on Zia, but now I know how to manage and balance everything. I dated Dingdong more and returned to work earlier than expected. Even though I’m sad to be away from my children, I think I work for them.”

Each person has a hand, the couple together take care of, educate the children, and preserve the warmth of the family. Photo: Instagram Marian Rivera.

Not only Marian, Dingdong Dantes also limits accepting many art projects to raise the children with his wife. He admits that he will “miss his children like crazy” if he cannot video call home every day when he has to be away from his wife and children for a long time. “Marian is very good at taking care of children, so I can rest assured even when I am not home. But it would be great if I could always be at home with my wife and children. Marian tells me everything, what they ate today, where they went.”

Dingdong is also a husband who is famous for pampering his wife, especially when his wife is pregnant. When he has free time, he will take the initiative to put on a face mask for his wife, wake up in the middle of the night to massage her if she is aching and can’t sleep. When Marian was pregnant, he volunteered to take care of all the housework, so his wife only needed to focus on taking care of her pregnancy and completing her work schedule.

Both Dingdong and Marian have reduced their work to spend time with their families. The two often travel with their children. Photo: Marian Rivera’s Instagram.

After getting married, the love between Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes seems to have not faded but become more passionate. They care for and look after each other, enjoying the joy of simple things like the laughter of their children and each other, the encouraging handshakes when appearing together in public, the times sitting next to each other on the plane and chatting until they forget the time… Whenever possible, Marian and Dingdong use actions to prove how much they love each other, and do not forget to say thank you for the love they receive.

As Marian Rivera once wrote on her personal Instagram: “The best relationship is the one in which two people are both lovers and friends”. That is the love of the newlyweds Marian – Dingdong. They love, accompany, sacrifice and grow together in their careers, marriage and journey of parenthood, like a bottle of fragrant wine that becomes sweeter and more intense the longer it is aged.

Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.

Photo: Instagram Dingdong Dantes.