TV personality and socialite Tessa Prieto shared how she found a new chance at happiness with her new partner.
Tessa first talked about her partner, Irene Nubla, in July during an interview with Julius Babao on his YouTube channel.
During her guest appearance on "Fast Talk With Boy Abunda", Tessa shared that she had once given up on finding love again after the painful end of her previous relationship.
"Parang I did," she said when asked if she had become afraid of loving again. "With the last one, after I got all that abuse, sabi ko 'ayoko na ng girl'... I'm just going to get a little dog," she added.
Just when Tessa thought she was not meant to love again, things took a turn when she met Irene in church.
"Three days later, my new partner came into my life. Sa simbahan. And then hindi ko alam na she's lesbian," she said.
Tessa recalled the moment she saw Irene, describing what she was wearing at the time.
"I was praying after. Then I saw my partner now, her name's Irene. And she's like, you know, she’s like a super crisp shirt. Tapos grabeng earrings. Naka-clip pa. And Hermes sandals. ‘Yun pala she liked me. I'm so likable," Tessa jokingly shared. According to her, their conversation was simple, Irene mentioning that they had a mutual friend before taking a photo.
"We just met in church... May anak pa siya. That's why I feel that finally, [I have] somebody [that] I don't have to justify to my parents and to myself. I said like, you know, times have changed na rin," Tessa said.
Just like any new relationship, some fights cannot be unseen, but according to Tessa, they eventually learned to understand each other's differences.
"Of course in the beginning, we were constantly fighting kasi we're just opposite. Parang she's very money-driven [sa] negosyo, and I'm like love, love love. And so again, I'm too much, right? This time around, if I'm too much, give me more. So, she gives me more. Thank you so much. We understand each other. We are now finally accepting of our traumas [with] our exes and everything. Now, we have so much love and respect," she said.
Tessa Prieto and Irene Nubla (Julius Babao UNPLUGGED YouTube Channel)
Being a well-known socialite, Boy asked Tessa how Irene is keeping up with her being constantly in the public's gaze.
"I think she enjoys it na rin. She has zero social media. So when people say that she's the one, she's okay na," Tessa said.
For Tessa, the relationship is special because they complement each other in many ways.
"Feeling ko, finally, somebody is able to match my energy in everything, financially [and] emotionally... She accepts my family first and foremost, that's so important for me. My family accepts her."
Before finding love again, Tessa went through a painful breakup with a same-sex partner, which actually led to legal disputes, including a pending VAWC case and an estafa complaint.
She was also married to businessman Dennis Valdes for 26 years before filing for annulment in 2025.
