It was not love at first sight for Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana.
The two GMA-7 stars were paired together in multiple projects, and that’s how they took their romance from reel to real.
According to Carla, “Hindi siya yung parang love at first sight. Hindi yung in love kaagad. Imagine, it took maybe at least a year pa, after more projects together.
”’Yun nga sa My Destiny… ‘tapos nagkaroon kami ng movie together, so doon kami mas naging close.”
From there, love blossomed, and the rest is history.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) looks back on how Tom and Carla’s relationship started—from being screen partners to close friends, being in a relationship, engaged, and finally, to getting married.
TOM AND CARLA’S PROJECTS TOGETHER
Tom and Carla started working together in GMA-7’s teleserye My Husband’s Lover in 2013.
They play a married couple, however, Tom’s character is gay.
Their marriage is shaken when Tom’s ex-lover (played by Dennis Trillo) returns to his life.
The following year, Tom and Carla starred in the movie So It’s You.
Although they were already a real-life couple at the time, they play two broken-hearted people in the film. They bond together to get over their heartaches, and fall in love with each other in the process.
In My Destiny, they play Grace (Carla) and Matthew (Tom), who fall in love with each other. Things get complicated when Grace’s sister Joy (played by Rhian Ramos), who has leukemia, also falls for Matthew.
In 2015, they did another romantic-comedy film titled No Boyfriend Since Birth. Carla plays the character of Carina, a wedding planner who has not had a boyfriend since birth. Meanwhile, Tom played Carlo, Carina’s high-school crush.
In 2017, they were reunited in a drama series titled I Heart Davao.
Carla plays the role of Hope, a heart transplant recipient, while Tom portrays the role of Ponce, the boyfriend of Hope’s heart donor.
It took three years before they were reunited again on the small screen.
In 2020, they starred in Love of My Life, with Carla as one of the main leads (playing the role of Isabella) and Tom (playing the role of Isabella’s husband who passed away) as a recurring guest cast.
TOM AND CARLA’S RELATIONSHIP: FROM REEL TO REAL
COURTSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP
In 2014, Tom admitted to courting Carla.
“She’s the one that inspires me the most right now,” Tom said of Carla.
In the same year, without putting a label on their relationship, Tom and Carla simply said they were happy to get to know each other deeper.
Their love would grow deeper as the years passed. In fact, in 2016, Tom affirmed how special Carla is.
“She’s certainly someone na pang-forever.
“Ako, heto na lang ang masasabi ko.
“Siguro biased lang ako, pero I can’t imagine anyone not wanting her.”
Tom also described himself as “a very lucky guy”.
In 2019, Tom denied the news that he has already proposed to Carla, stating that they are still saving up for their future. However, the two already had a semi live-in status, staying at each other’s condo when time permitted.
ENGAGEMENT
In March 2021, the couple revealed their engagement. At the time of their announcement, they had already been engaged for five months.
Describing the monumental event, Tom shared, “Nanginginig ang tuhod ko noon. Ang feeling ko, parang gulaman yung legs ko.
“Kasi, first of all, I didn’t know kung mabubuko kami, so there was uncertainty or if she would say yes.
“One hundred percent naman, I’m sure she would say yes, pero paano kung biglang nag-no?
“Sabi ng mom ko, ‘Nak, magye-yes ba iyon?’ Sabi ko, ‘Oo naman, Ma!’
“Yung nanay ko nagtanong kung magye-yes ba si Carla!” Tom recalled with a laugh.
In October 2021, photos of their engagement photo shoot were shared all over social media, garnering delighted reactions from netizens and celebrities alike.
TOM AND CARLA’S WEDDING
On May 12, 2021, Tom and Carla’s wedding date and venue were unwittingly revealed by Parokya ni San Guillermo in Tagaytay
According to the marriage banns or “Tawag sa Ikakasal,” the “petsa ng kasal” was slated for October 23, 2021, and the “lugar na pagkakasalan” was Madre de Dios Chapel, Tagaytay Midlands.
The bride and groom did tie the knot on October 23, 2021, but the church venue was San Juan Nepomuceno Parish Church in Batangas.
Carla was breathtakingly beautiful in her Monique Lhuillier gown, while Tom was equally dashing in his Francis Libiran suit.
Their guest list was star-studded despite the pandemic restrictions.
IS THERE AN ISSUE BETWEEN TOM AND CARLA?
In January 2022, fans were shocked when they discovered that Tom and Carla unfollowed each other on Instagram.
Although Carla followed Tom again on Instagram a few days later, the issue was further amplified when Tom had a cryptic post about leaving, making netizens wonder if it was related to Carla. To date, Tom has followed Carla again.
It seems that their fans are all hoping that the two are just going through a rough patch, and that all will be well.
