ARE you someone who believes that friendship remains just that, or do you think it can blossom into something more romantic? Either way, Diego Loyzaga and Barbie Imperial’s love story is proof of the latter.
The new couple opened up about the beginning of their relationship and revealed that theirs actually started out as mere friendship.
Barbie said they met around three years ago in 2018. “Pero that time, wala kaming ano, something. Ano lang, friends lang talaga kami,” Barbie shared. “Pero, crush ko siya noon.”
At some point, they realized they got stuck in the friendzone. “Parang na-friendzone kaming dalawa sa isa’t isa,” Diego said. They’d hang out together or go on beach trips, but often surrounded by mutual friends.
After that, Diego went into a two-year hiatus from showbiz. During that time, Barbie was among the friends who would check up on him and ask him how he’s doing.
Barbie also shared they would play the online game Call of Duty together. Diego would always give her armor plates (they’re in-game accessories that help extend your life!) instead of keeping them for him to use.
Dating wasn’t exactly the easiest for the two, especially since they became closer during quarantine. They couldn’t go out like before, and Barbie also couldn’t just break rules from her lock-in tapings. Normally, they’d just hang around at each other’s houses or do video calls together.
The two eventually became official (on Instagram) on New Year’s Day after going on a holiday beach trip together. Despite the romantic setup, they became official in a rather casual way. “Lagi tayong nag-aasaran noong time na ‘yon, na friends na walang label,” Diego pointed out. On how Barbie said yes to being Diego’s girlfriend, Barbie shared, “Sabi niya lang, ‘tayo na?’ sabi ko, ‘Oo.‘”
Before dating each other, Barbie was linked to Paul Salas and JM De Guzman. Diego, on the other hand, was in a relationship with Sofia Andres.(Cosmopolitan)
