The Philippine entertainment industry was shocked again when Sunshine Cruz suddenly spoke up about the woman who replaced her in Cesar Montano’s life! After many years of silence, the actress finally revealed the truth about the reason behind her broken marriage and the identity of the third person, leaving everyone stunned.
In an emotional conversation, Sunshine Cruz did not hesitate to mention the mysterious woman who intervened in her marriage with Cesar Montano. Although she did not directly mention the name, the way she described it made the public speculate.
*”I used to think that my love and sacrifice were enough to keep the family together, but it turns out that there are things that cannot be controlled. At some point, you have to accept the fact that someone else has entered the life of the person you love.” * – Sunshine shared bitterly.
Immediately, netizens broke out into a heated debate. Who is the woman that Sunshine mentioned? Is this the same character that was rumored before or is it a completely new name?
Some sources in the industry said that Cesar Montano was rumored to have an intimate relationship with a female colleague while he was still married to Sunshine. However, at that time, both of them denied all rumors. Now, with Sunshine’s suggestive revelation, the public has more reason to believe that the suspicions of the past were not unfounded.
After this news spread, Cesar Montano’s side remained silent, but will he respond? And most importantly, who is the real identity of the woman that Sunshine is referring to? Let’s wait and see what happens next!
‘I’m just a bold star’: Sunshine tells account of ‘dark marriage’ with Cesar
Prior to their final separation in 2013, Sunshine Cruz attempted multiple times to end her marriage with Cesar Montano, the actress has revealed.
In a scathing account of the marriage described as “dark and chaotic” in a PEP.ph report, Cruz shared that she saw a “sign” of Montano’s supposed temper when they were already engaged to be married.
At the time, she recalled, their 2000 wedding was nearly canceled.
Cruz narrated: “There was a word he said to me, I was a little surprised. It was the first time I heard it. Because, with my family, it’s not about bragging, I’ve never heard my dad say anything about my mom, I’ve never seen him beaten or dragged or anything like that.
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“I was in Cebu, there was a word he said to me on the phone. I was calling off the wedding. I called Tita Norma Japitana [Cesar’s former manager], and I said, ‘The wedding is off! I don’t want it, I don’t want it!’ Because he said something to me–it’s not nice.”
Cruz, according to the report, preferred not to reveal the word used by Montano, only saying, “Just the pig, the pig. It’s not nice, it’s not really nice.”
After she decided to no longer push through with the wedding, Cruz recounted how Montano prematurely ended a film shoot at the time, flew to her, and pleaded.
“I called off the wedding. ‘That was the time when he packed up his taping, he should have been shooting. He flew to Cebu, and knelt down and begged me. I was shocked. But, imagine, he packed up his shooting? I think he paid more or less P100K for the damage he did–and he flew and apologized to me,” she said.
The two eventually married on September 14, 2000. Cruz was 23 at the time, and Montano, 38.
During their honeymoon on a Caribbean cruise, Montano’s supposed temper surfaced yet again, according to Cruz.
“It’s painful to admit, but it was still just a honeymoon, but we threw our wedding ring at something, when we were on a Caribbean cruise,” she said.
The root of the outburst, Cruz said, was Montano’s insistence that she admit to having had actual intercourse with her co-stars in her past “bold” movies, prior to them getting married.
Cruz remembered being confused as to why Montano, himself an actor, had been adamant on the topic.
“I said, ‘Even if you peel me off, even if you throw me in the sea, I won’t admit anything! Because, it’s not true!’ I said, that was a time that should be fun, honeymooning, enjoying. What really, really, is that?” she said.
As they were newly married then, Cruz decided to accept Montano’s disposition. Eventually, however, it became evident to her that the actor’s alleged temper was more the norm, than the exception.
She explained: “There were more times when he was like that, than when he was calm. And I was thinking, maybe, it was just his upbringing, his upbringing. Maybe he just had a temper. That’s what I thought—he just had a temper.
“Then, people would always tell me, ‘Maybe you just have to prove your worth as a person.’ It’s always like that. That’s what I did. I was devastated, I was married—what was I going to do?”
In 2007, Cruz was reported to have left Montano, amid allegations that the actor was having an affair with a Brazilian model.
Cruz, in her PEP.ph tell-all, confirmed that this was not the only time she tried to end her marriage with Montano. It happened several times.
“I admit that I have been up and down a lot. I have run to my mother, to my parents, with all my belongings. I have balikbayan boxes available,” she said.
But her love for Montano, commitment to their relationship, as well as the actor’s apologetic gestures, always managed to pull her back.
“He will pick me up at home, he will talk to my parents. ‘That’s it, because, as long as I can, as long as I can, I can really do it,” she said.
Montano’s words, however, did not stop, according to Cruz.
“I would leave, then I would come back, like that. It seems, because, he says I’m just a bold star, nothing else will take from me… If you’d seen me before, wouldn’t I always be down? I feel ashamed of myself, because my own wife thinks that way about me–what more is there to other people? That’s what I think,” she said.
Throughout their marriage, other factors also beset their relationship, including Cruz’s tiff with Montano’s sister. But even Montano supposedly siding with his sister did not yet form the deep wedge that would eventually cause their final separation.
That happened, Cruz said, when her daughters with Montano started to get affected by the actor’s actions.
They have three children — Angeline, 17; Samantha, 14; and Cheska, 11.
“It was my daughter who told me to talk to Dad, because we saw a picture of him with a girl,” Cruz recalled.
She was referring to the time when Montano allegedly had an affair with his movie co-star at the time, Krista Miller. That same year, in 2013, Cruz left her husband for good.
To this day, Cruz and Montano remain estranged, amidst their legal battles.
In September, one of those cases — Cruz’s petition for the annulment of their marriage — finally reached a resolution. They are now both legally single.
Several more cases filed by Cruz against Montano have yet to reach a final decision, among them her complaints over separate incidents of physical abuse and marital rape.
Asked for her message to her ex-husband, Cruz answered: “If there is anything to thank him for—I became stronger, I became brave, I learned to fight, I didn’t do that before! And, of course, he gave me three children.”
Cruz is currently in a relationship with businessman Macky Mathay.
According to PEP.ph, Montano has not responded to any request for comment on Cruz’s account. The actor, however, released over the weekend a brief statement on the topic of his marriage with Cruz.
He said: “I believe God allows everything to happen for a purpose. Marriage is one of the most expensive schools of highest learning in life. But more valuable than money is time. God didn’t let me get out of it without learning something. God is good, all glory to Him.