Let's admit it—we all love a good friendship story, especially one about women supporting each other. So here's a touching memory from Bela Padilla as she recounted the first time she met fellow actress Lovi Poe.
Ever the writer, in an Instagram post dated August 28, Bela commemorated Lovi's wedding through a sentimental story.
The two longtime friends did not meet on a filming set, nor in a show. Bela was 14 years old, not yet introduced to the entertainment world, when they met by chance and by choice.
She recalled the day that she was feeling her lowest as a cheerleader, when she couldn't do a proper routine throughout their practice. The actress described her younger self as a dancer at heart who just wanted to do the floor routine.
"To be a cheerleader so tiny meant that there were times I would be made a “flyer.” I was always afraid of heights, and the funny thing about that is you’d be thrown so high up in the air that your breath just catches in your throat," Bela narrated fragments of her cheerleading experience.
With that, there were times when Bela just couldn't do it. One day, she remembered walking to her school bus, crying and upset at herself until another cheerleader came running towards her. It was Lovi.
"I walked back to my school bus in tears but I heard one cheerleader running after me-Lovi. She asked me if I was ok. And that was exactly what I needed at 14," Bela wrote in her Instagram post.
That was the start of their beautiful friendship. "It seems like we unintentionally drift in and out of each others' lives," the Filipino-British actress said.
Thankful for their 15 years of friendship, Bela described Lovi as a very intuitive person when it comes to other peoples' emotions. She also noted how their careers never went against each other despite being in the same "cutthroat" industry.
"But we never vied for the same roles or stayed in the same place. From time to time in the last 15 years, I would see Lovi and we would catch up and kind of give each other a progress report, if you will. And we were both moving steadily towards our respective goals," she detailed.
Bela continued to share her wonderful experience as a spectator at Lovi and her husband, Monty Blencowe's English wedding. "Her wedding is the lightest, most fun but genuine one I’ve been to. Their vows were perfect, the speeches, heartwarming…and the dance floor was full till they cut the music at Cliveden House."
Ending on a sweet note, Bela expressed her gratitude to Lovi for being a genuinely lovely person and wished the newly-wedded couple "the happiest of happy days" in their marriage.
Lovi did not waste a minute and replied with the most heartfelt response to Bela saying: "Your determination and strength have always inspired me. Wherever life takes us, know that my heart is rooting for you always and I'm so proud of you."
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