It has been a year since Rayver Cruz mustered the guts to take that big network leap from ABS-CBN to GMA, and things are looking rosier than ever for this gorgeous hunk.
“I feel very fortunate that my new mother studio is giving me all the support that it can give, opening doors for me to maximize my potentials as an artist.
I am just so happy that I followed my inner voice and decided to move to GMA, because it was really a big and scary decision. But I guess I’m just lucky and it was the perfect time to have made that big move,” he said.
Right after he signed his contract in September 2018, Cruz was immediately given a lead role in the daily drama Asawa Ko, Karibal Ko. His latest TV series is Hanggang sa Dulo ng Buhay Ko and he gets top billing, too.
He also got prominent exposure in the musical show Studio 7, where he was able to showcase his suave dance routines, something he has always been known for. “I also got to sing a lot and I guess it was a good training ground for me. Now I can confidently sing and dance,” he enthused, breaking into smile.
As if blessings want to overwhelmingly pour into his life, he recently got a new assignment to host the new season of the singing contest The Clash. For this new task, Cruz is being paired with Julie Anne San Jose, one of the network’s musical treasures.
“I get to polish my hosting skills and it excites me. I’ve been acting for drama programs and dancing for musical shows for a long time now but hosting is something that is relatively new to me, so I’m willing to absorb anything to make me a good host,” he said. Not many know that as a child, Cruz was tapped to be one of the kiddie hosts of the ABC 5 children’s show 5 and Up.
Now 30, Cruz feels that he is more focused on doing what he wants and what makes him happy. “As I grow older, I make a lot of realizations—on what truly counts and who truly matters. I am always reminded to go back to the basics—family, home, health, work, real friends, true love.”
Early this year, Cruz lost his dearest mom to cancer and it devastated him and broke his heart. “I hear and read a lot of stories about moving on, but it’s not as easy as that, especially if it hits home. My mother had been the singular pillar of strength to me and my siblings, especially when my dad passed on many years ago. But she is gone, too, and there’s just this void that can never be filled again. I’m glad that I have my small circle of a support system, and my work helps me rechannel my energies and restrengthen my emotions.”
Part of Cruz’s core is his girlfriend Janine Gutierrez, a showbiz royalty (Pilita Corrales, Eddie Gutierrez, Nora Aunor, Christopher de Leon are her grandparents) who is an intelligent, down-to-earth and kind person.
“She is my core, my strength when I feel I am at my weakest and most vulnerable. She is my wings when I need to soar and fly high. She can pull me down to remind me to be grounded, and she can push me to be up and become my best. She is my true joy and happiness.”
Cruz is happy and thankful that his career is in full swing now. Being aware that that there is nothing permanent in this industry, he is just taking each day at a time, saving his resources, learnings and energies for the bright future he is building for himself and those he loves.
