Gerald asked: 'Babaero ka ba?'
MANILA - As if to clear the air of any animosity, Kris Aquino welcomed Gerald Anderson to her primetime talk show by shaking the actor's hand, after lauding his "bravery" for facing her.The "Dyesebel" leading man was Friday night's guest on the live episode of "Aquino & Abunda Tonight," where he promoted the March 17 premiere of the ABS-CBN fantaserye.
"Thank you for the bravery to be here tonight!" Aquino told Anderson in the opening minutes of the program.
"Siyempre kasi hindi naman sikreto sa mga fans, 'diba, na I treat Kim [Chiu] like my eldest," she said. "But everybody has moved on. We all deserve happiness and love, right?"
A laughing Anderson quipped, "Love, love, love!" -- an expression made famous by Aquino, who then reached out her hand to shake the actor's.
Aquino has been vocal of her fondness for Chiu, who had a controversial falling out with Anderson in 2010 and later with best friend Maja Salvador in early 2013 after the actor admitted being in a relationship with the "Thelma" actress.
Chiu and Anderson co-starred with Aquino in the 2010 series "Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo," the young stars' last project as a couple before their much talked-about breakup in the same year.
Kris grills Gerald
In the latter part of Anderson's live guesting on "Aquino & Abunda Tonight," Aquino asked the actor whether there is truth to the supposed public perception that he is a womanizer.
Anderson said no.
Aquino then followed up with the question: "Is Gerald Anderson capable of fidelity? When in a relationship, focused doon?"
Visibly pressured, Anderson asked in jest whether there would be a commercial break, before answering: "I've made mistakes. It makes me a better person."
"Did you learn?" Aquino asked.
Anderson answered: "Of course."
Shortly after his separation from Chiu in 2010, Anderson was romantically linked with actress Bea Alonzo, who has gone on record about her "whirlwind romance" with the actor.
Anderson, in 2013, also became the subject of criticisms when the first reports about his then-blooming romance with Salvador surfaced, only a month after he admitted to no longer courting singer-actress Sarah Geronimo.
During his guesting on "Aquino & Abunda Tonight" on Friday, Anderson went on to share his preparations for "Dyesebel," where he will be paired for the first time with lead star Anne Curtis. Before ending the interview, Aquino once again lauded Anderson for agreeing to be a guest on her program.
"Thank you, Ge, ah. I know it took some [courage] na humarap sa akin. Maraming, maraming salamat," Aquino told Anderson, before pulling him in for a hug.