Lawyer Annette Gozon-Valdes, Senior Vice President for Programming, Talent Management, Worldwide, and Support Group at GMA Network, has been married to actor Shintaro Valdes for eight years. They tied the knot on July 24, 2016. She recalled that their relationship began through Facebook.

"Facebook friends kami. In-accept naman kasi mga Facebook requests ng mga artista. Hindi ko naman siya pinapansin so baka lang ma cast namin one days. Once nakita raw niya ako sa restaurant and nag-message siya ng 'I saw you!' Sabi ko, "Sorry, hindi kita nakita. Malabo ang mata ko.' Sabi ba naman? 'What? You awesome.' Ayoko ng ganun. Sabi ko parang ang landi nito. (We are friends on Facebook. I accept Facebook requests from artists. I accepted his request; we could cast him one day. He once saw me at a restaurant and sent me a message saying, 'I saw you!' I said, "Sorry, I didn't see you. My eyes are blurry.' I said, 'What? You're awesome.' I don't like that. I said it was like he was flirting)," said Annette during an interview for the podcast show "Meet The Press" now streaming on Spotify. Powered by The Pod Network, the online program is hosted by author-publicist Noel Ferrer, Robert Requintina (Manila Bulletin), Nathalie Tomada (Philippine Star), and Marinel Cruz (Philippine Daily Inquirer).

Annette initially stated that she didn't like Shintaro because of his reputation as a playboy, expressing her desire to exclude him from her life. However, it seems they were meant to be together.

"One time he texted again. Sabi niya, 'So you are a Lakers' fan.' Fan kasi ako ng LA Lakers. Hindi ko napigilan sabi ko, 'Yes! I love the LA Lakers.' Ang next na tanong niya is, 'What else do you love?' Gusto ko na talaga i-shut out. So sabi ko, 'I love theology.' Baka tumigil na. Bigla ba naman sumagot, 'I also love theology!' In my mind, sabi ko ang kapal naman nito ginagamit pa si God para lumandi! Ang ginawa ko is quizzed him about faith and theology. Ang bilis niya sumagot at tama naman lahat. (He said, 'So you are a Lakers' fan.' I'm a fan of the LA Lakers. I couldn't help myself, I said, 'Yes! I love the LA Lakers.' His next question was, 'What else do you love?' I wanted to shut him out. So I said, 'I love theology.' Maybe he'd stop. Suddenly, he replied, 'I also love theology!' In my mind, I said, 'This guy is using God to flirt! What I did was quiz him about faith and theology. He answered quickly, and everything was right).

"I felt ashamed of myself and said, 'Wow! I judged him right away.' He was great. Then I found out he had been studying the Bible for seven years because he was converted to the faith in 2004. I was humiliated, and I told God, 'I judged.' That was wrong. So after that, I started answering each other until we became close," Annette said.

Winning over father

Annette noted that her father became strict again after separating from her first husband.

"My dad is very conservative. I came from a first marriage. We got separated and then annulled. I was in my 40s; I lived with my parents and was ordered to sleep with them. I have a curfew at midnight. They are conservative. They seem worried for me," she said.

Annette mentioned that her father and Shintaro did not form an immediate connection.

"You know the reputation of other stars. Shintaro had wives before. But when they saw that we were taking it easy, that he seemed kind and loyal, that was the time they wanted to meet (Shintaro). 

"Now he is a favorite. Sometimes even when I'm not there or abroad, Shintaro will come to our house and just eat with my dad. It's like he has become an adopted child.

"Back then, when my dad woke up, he would have the butler look for Shintaro. They were going to have breakfast. Once, I even took a picture of them both in robes," she said.

God-centered relationship

Annette believes their relationship succeeded because it is founded on faith. She mentioned that they discussed theology, and he was genuine in his beliefs. "I realized that he is focused on God, which is why we connected so well."

"I'm not saying there are no challenges. All relationships have challenges. But when you enter into something like marriage, it trains you to be more like Jesus. And when you see that working, you will say maybe that is God's plan to be more like Jesus in everything you do," she added.

Annette gently urged the couples to prioritize their relationships by placing God at the very heart of their connections. 

"Put God at the center of your relationship. It requires effort to keep romance alive, but sometimes it fades away. We know that romance is not true love. It's not real love. Real love is a commitment and going through sacrifices. That's where you can prove that love is true. Not the one that excites you because the person is doing things for you. That's not real love. That's selfish love. True love is having a partner who stands by you through thick and thin. Sacrifice is the greatest grandeur of love that someone can show," she said.

Advice to single women

On her advice to single women, Annette answered: “If you're single and looking for someone, pray to God to give you the right person. But if you don't have a partner, that's okay. Because marriage isn't what will make you happy, it's not a fairy tale. It's not, 'Wow, I got married, no more problems.'

“It's not like that. Marriage will teach you and make you endure trials to become a better person. And even in your singleness, it's a trial to make you a better person.

“It's not a spouse that will make you happy. It's not a marriage that will make you happy. It's not a marriage that will complete you. So even if you want to marry, if it's not for you, still be thankful because it's not a bed of roses, huh? It's a different path. But it's not less than being married. It's on the same footing," she added.