Seventeen-year-old Filipino-Brazilian model and aspiring actress Mariana del Rio has finally taken her first step to fulfill her dream of becoming part of local showbiz.
She was given a break to prove her acting skill through ABS-CBN's upcoming television show "Kapitan Boom!", a fantasy-comedy series that stars former PBB housemate Jon Avila as a superhero.
But even before Mariana's showbiz debut she already snatched the limelight in controversial fashion: she was rumored to have had a romantic affair with multi-awarded actor Cesar Montano, which supposedly spurred his wife Sunshine Cruz to walk out of their house and live a separate life.
Del Rio said that she was unprepared for all the intrigues she received as she tried to enter Philippine showbiz.
"(I felt) super bad since I don't want to be somebody because of controversy. I want to do many things, I want to be seen as a good actress and not because of controversy," del Rio explained.
"Sunshine" after Montano
After del Rio's name was dragged by the controversy she is now looking to a brighter future and glad with the report that Montano's wife Sunshine Cruz is not angry with her anymore.
"Sobrang okey ako and I'm so glad that you are okey also," Mariana blissfully said.
The newest actress said that she didn’t have the chance to meet or to talk to Manzano or Cruz after the controversy died down.
"Hindi pa po, not yet," del Rio briefly answered.
The young Brazilian model also denied a report that she is the "flirt buddy" of hearttrob Sam Milby, saying that she's not the type of person who will do that.
Reports came out that she had flirted with Milby at a fashion event last year. In a separate interview, Milby already cleared the issue saying that they're just friends and there is nothing romantic or flirty between him and the ravishing Fil-Brazilian.
And when asked whether rumors are true that she's going to pose for a sexy magazine, del Rio replied: "I'm just seventeen and I'm too young. I don’t think so."
Del Rio is the commercial model of a new corned beef product. She currently resides as a model in the country and this coming April she will grace television screens in the new TV series "Kapitan Boom!"