- Gretchen Barretto admitted being a “mistress” to his longtime partner Tonyboy Cojuangco
- Though she was hurt for being frequently tagged as a mistress, Gretchen said she has now learned to ignore this
- The couple celebrated their 25th anniversary earlier this year
Gretchen Barretto and her longtime partner Tonyboy Cojuangco celebrated their silver anniversary last February 3, 2019. The two have a daughter named Dominique who is currently based abroad. The actress has frequently asserted her solid relationship with her common-law partner despite being frequently tagged as Tonyboy’s “other woman.”
In an Instagram Live session in June last year, Gretchen shocked netizens as she called herself a “mistress” to her longtime partner. Tonyboy is still legally married to his first wife, former equestrienne Denise Yabut-Cojuangco.
The actress said that she is ready to accept criticisms following her admission.
“Mga kaibigan, you can accuse me of many things, nasty things. Puwede niyo akong sabihing malandi, I will accept it. Sasabihin niyo akong baduy, bagong yaman, I will accept it.
“Marami po kasing nag-i-stop sa akin, sa kadaldalan ko, but I’m on a roll. I want to say this.
“Sasabihin nilang kabit, aaminin ko for the past 23 or almost 24 years, opo, kabit po ako ni Tonyboy Cojuangco. I never denied it.”
The actress did not deny that being called a mistress is hurtful for her but she later learned to ignore these accusations.
“If you threw that at me five years ago, maglulupasay po ako. Halos magpakamatay po ako sa sakit sa aking dibdib pag tinatawag niyo akong kabit.
“But right now, after 23 lovely years with my Tonyboy, you can call me kabit and I will tell you, I am happily his kabit. I am happily his mistress.”
Gretchen added, “I have a man who loves me unconditionally. Yes, it is true. Maybe I will never be married with him. Maybe he will never marry me. Maybe I will never have that dream to walk down the aisle and have that fabulous gown. But who cares?
“I have a very flawed life, a flawed relationship, but I’m happy. It’s not perfect. He understands me fully, he loves me fully, and in his eyes, I can do no wrong. So who am I to complain? Life isn’t perfect.
“Where we live right now, it’s not heaven, you know. And I’m not the only one who lives an imperfect life.”
In the last part of her 30-minute Instagram Live session, Gretchen then laughingly narrated her conversation with Tonyboy in the past.
Gretchen recalled, “Sabi ko, ‘Dada, they said I’m a gold-digger, I’m your kabit.’
“Sabi niya, ‘Baba, you did not dig gold. I handed it to you. Now, can I have it back?'”
Gretchen joked, “I said, ‘No way!’ I said, ‘Now, you have to dig it back!’ Hindi, loko lang.”
Recently, Gretchen has been involved in a controversy after being linked to businessman Atong Ang. The two later denied that they are having an affair.
