Lorna Tolentino bares Rudy Fernandez’s promise to marry her when she was just 7

Lorna Tolentino revealed that her husband, the late action star Rudy Fernandez, made a promise to himself when she was just seven years old to one day marry her – a promise he ultimately kept.

In an interview with journalist Korina Sanchez, which was uploaded to Net25’s YouTube channel on Sunday, September 24, Tolentino opened up about her romance with Fernandez, whom she met when she was a little girl.

“Ilang taon ka noong may Rudy Fernandez na (How old were you when Rudy Fernandez came into your life)?” Sánchez asked Tolentino.

“Seven year old ako noong nakita niya ako. Tapos noong 14 year old ako, nagging best friend niya ‘yung kapatid ng mama ko… pumupunta siya sa bahay tapos nakikita na niya ako. No adult na ‘yung mga rolen namin, medyo naging close na kami,’ Tolentino help.

(He saw me when I was seven years old. When I was 14 years old, he became best friends with my mother’s sibling. He visited our house and he saw me there. When we took on adult roles, then we came close.)

The veteran actress then shared what Fernandez told her as his promise to himself, even when she was young, that he would marry her when she finally grew up. Tolentino is 10 years younger than her husband, meaning the late action star was 17 when he first saw her.

“Actually, sinabi niya is related, tinupad daw niya ‘yung pangako niya noong pinakasalan niya ako… ‘yung pangakong pakakasalan niya nga ako noong makita niya ako noong seven year old ako. Palakihin daw nang mabuti ‘yung batang ‘yan at pakakasalan ko siya,” she said.

(Actually, he told me that he had kept his promise to marry me when he saw me when I was seven years old. He told me to grow up well because he would marry me.)

During the interview, Tolentino said she had no experience in relationships except with Fernandez.

“Wala akong experience kundi si Daboy lang,” she said, referring to her husband by his showbiz name. “Mas oke para sa’kin (kasi parehas kami ng industriya). Maraming tinuro sa’kin si Daboy na dala-dala ko hanggang ngayon.”

(I don’t have any experiences except Daboy. It’s better for me because we’re in the same industry. He taught me a lot of things that I still carry with me to this day.)

Tolentino and Fernandez married in a civil ceremony in 1983 before exchanging vows in a lavish affair in 1992. They have two sons named Renz and Raphael. The late actor is also the father of actor Mark Anthony Fernandez with Alma Moreno.

Fernandez died in June 2008 after a battle with peri-ampullary cancer. EDV