Marian Rivera revealed that this near-drowning experience prompted her to give Dingdong Dantes a chance to court her.
In a recent interview on celebrity makeup artist Celeste Tuviera’s YouTube vlog, Marian recalled having almost drowned during a taping for the 2008 romance fantasy series Dyesebel, where she starred as the titular mermaid role with now-husband Dingdong as her leading man.
“Mula umaga hanggang madaling-araw nakalubog ako sa tubig for Dyesebel. Wala akong reklamo nun. Kahit nanginginig ako, kailangan naming tapusin ang eksena namin,” shared Marian.
For her to go underwater, the Kapuso actress said that weights had to be put on her silicone-made tail.
“So nilalagyan nila ako ‘nun. So, merong isang nag-aalalay sa akin. Rolling, ibabagsak nila ako sa tubig, isang camera lang,” shared Marian adding that the person assisting her had to swim away so she could shoot her solo scenes.
Marian said she thought she was going to die after being swept away by waves while she was alone in the sea.
“Mag-isa ako sa dagat. Hindi nila nakita na may along paparating. Inalon ako ng dalawa, tatlong beses. Feeling ko katapusan ko na. Feeling ko madededo na ako,” she said.
Marian said she struggled to remove her mermaid tail but to no avail: “Hindi ko matanggal ‘yung buntot ko. Kung tinanggal ko yung buntot naka-panty lang so dedma na’ko. Hindi ko matanggal yung buntot ko so inalon ako.”
The said incident made a furious Dingdong jump into the water with other divers to save her.
“’Nagalit si Dong. Tumalon siya almost to sagip pero syempre may mga diver naman. Tapos kinuha niya ako na para akong bata. Nilagay niya ako sa boat yata yun o upuan. Tapos ‘akin na towel!’ gumanun siya. Niyayakap niya ako. Sabi niya, parang, ‘Are you okay?’ Tapos, umiiyak na ako. Akala ko mamamatay na talaga ako.”
“As in wala na, wala na, parang feeling ko sabi ko ah wala na mamamatay na talaga ako nito,” Marian narrated, saying she had already swallowed a significant amount of salt water at that time.
“So nagalit siya. ‘Hindi niyo ba nakikita na may ganyan, may ganyan?!’ Tapos biglang pagdating sa’kin, toned down na, ‘Are you okay?’,” Marian remembered her husband being all concerned about her.
That was when Marian said she started appreciating and falling for Dingdong whom she admitted was not her type back then.
“Dun na nagsimula. ‘Dun ko nakita na ah mabuting tao siya, hindi sa dahil siguro gusto niya ako, pero ayaw niyang may nasasaktang ibang tao.
“Kasi nakikita ko din paano siya sa staff and crew. Love siya ng staff and crew. Mabait siya, mabuti siyang makisama.
“Pag may nangyari pa lang masama sa akin, masasaktan pala siya o kung hindi man ako yung tao na ‘yun for sure gagawin din niya yun kung sinuman yung tao na yun.”
“So doon nagsimula na ‘ay, mabait naman pala si kuya’,” said Marian.
After being together for five years, Marian and Dingdong tied the knot in 2014 and are now parents to daughter Zia and son Ziggy.
