(From left) McCoy de Leon, baby Felize McKenzie de Leon, Elisse Joson. Images: Next by Metrophoto via Instagram/@elissejoson
Elisse Joson said that Felize McKenzie, her daughter with fellow actor McCoy de Leon, was instrumental to their decision to give their relationship another go.
When “Magandang Buhay” host Melai Cantiveros said during an interview last Aug. 11 that the couple’s daughter is “beautiful” and “so cute,” Joson couldn’t help but smile as she briefly recalled her reconciliation with the “Batang Quiapo” star.
“Kapag tinitignan namin [si Felize], parang sabi namin, ‘Grabe, mag-aaway pa ba tayo? Tignan mo naman oh, ang blessed-blessed natin sa batang ito, (When we look at Felize, we turned to one another and said, Wow, are we still going to fight? Look. We’re so blessed with this child),’” she said.
The actress then stressed that people shouldn’t give up on their families in times of hardships, as she noted that it takes “hard work” to repair a broken relationship.
“Sa family, hindi naman ‘yan basta susukuan lang agad eh. You have to work hard for it, and kahit anong mangyari, gagawin mo ang lahat talaga para magsama-sama kayo, maayos (You can’t just give up on family. You have to work hard for it and no matter what happens, you have to do everything so you can all be together and be okay),” she said.
Without mentioning anyone in particular, the “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso” star thanked their loved ones for helping her and de Leon pick up where they left off.
“I’m grateful kasi ang daming nagmamahal sa amin na nakakatulong din for us to… alam niyo ‘yun, come together kasi alam niyong maraming sumusuporta sa inyo, maraming nagmamahal,” she said. (I’m thankful that a lot of people love us and are willing to help us to come together. It’s so nice to know that many support and love us.)
Joson confirmed last April that she and the actor got back together, saying they are working together to keep their relationship alive.
“We’re happy. I think in any kind of relationship, you’re gonna have to stumble on a few roadblocks. And marami pang dadating na mas mahirap sa’min (Many hardships will come, some even harder than the present). So, I think we’re happy,” she said during an ambush interview with reporters.
The actor previously split with the “Dirty Linen” star last January, although he noted that there was no third party involved amid speculations of the former being unfaithful to the latter.
Joson and de Leon first met as housemates in the reality show “Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky Season 7” in 2016, but split two years later. They confirmed that they eventually got back together during the pandemic in June 2021.
The couple introduced their daughter to the public in October 2021.
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