Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon

Aside from being icons of Philippine cinema, Vilma Santos and Christopher De Leon also take pride in having endured relationships with their respective partners.

Vilma has been married to politician Ralph Recto (currently the Deputy House Speaker) for 30 years, while Christopher and his wife, actress Sandy Andolong, recently marked their 43rd wedding anniversary.

During a recent media conference for their upcoming movie "When I Met You in Tokyo," Vilma and Christopher gave insights on how to nurture a relationship so that the flame keeps on burning for a long time.

"Sa experience ko, don't give your all. Palagay ko, kelangan me misteryo pa din. You really have to make your relationship exciting. Wag naman porke asawa mo na, you give your all, kahit ano na itsura mo. Of course not, " Vilma advised.

Vilma Santos-Recto

(In my experience, don't give your all. I think you need to maintain some form of mystery. Just because someone is your spouse doesn't mean you give it your all, and you don't bother to fix your appearance. Of course not.)

"As much as possible, hindi kayo sabay na nagpupunta sa banyo. You know what I mean?," she added. "You don't expose yourself sa di magandang itsura. It should be a private thing. Kahit sabihin mong asawa mo na sya, you don't expose yourself like that."

(As much as possible, don't go to the bathroom together. You don't show yourself to your partner in a state where you're not looking good. Even if he or she is your spouse, you don't expose yourself like that.)

"You still have to take care of yourself, meron ka pa rin dapat itago para sa sarili mo. Respetuhin mo ang sarili mo. At the same time, pag may respeto ka sa sarili mo, mas mararamdaman yun ng partner mo. Once the respect is there, everything follows," Vilma pointed out.

(You need to take care of yourself and keep something for yourself. Respect yourself, your partner will be able to feel it.)

Christopher de Leon

"Being romantic has to be there, even if you're old," Christopher remarked. " Like every so often, you give her flowers; every so often, you go out on a date. Hindi pwedeng kakain kayo sa labas tapos hindi naman kayo mag-uusap. You also have to be funny. You need to be exciting and adventurous at the same time, travel the world together. These are the stuff that makes (a relationship) pretty solid.

For their upcoming movie "When I Met You in Tokyo," Vilma will play the role of Azon, a feisty and bubbly character who is known for her generosity when it comes to time and affection. Christopher, on the other hand, will give life to Joey - an embittered divorcee who harbors the scars of his wife's infidelity.