Dina Bonnevie shares how becoming a Christian taught her to let go of the past

Dina Bonnevie appeared again on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” where she shared some of the experiences she went through as a single mom. 

On Friday’s episode, the showbiz veteran shared how getting pregnant at 19 was difficult for her and how hard it was to become a single mom at 23 years old after she and Vic Sotto separated. At the time of their separation, Vic was already in a relationship with Coney Reyes.

Forgiveness and reconciliation did not happen overnight, but the starting point came when her daughter, Danica, told her that she wished her mom would just let go of the bitterness.

“I guess, you know, through time, sabi ko, ‘Walang pupuntahan ito (I told myself, ‘This will go nowhere’) unless I really let go and just accept that it’s like this,'” Dina said.

Eventually, Dina found Christianity, which also became her bridge to Coney. One time, the two of them bumped into each other, she recalled, and Coney invited her to go to their church.

She doubted the invitation at first, but Danica told her, “‘Di ka naman pumupunta sa church para sa tao eh (you don’t go to church for the person). You’re going there for God.’”

“And then, nakita ko na (I saw) she changed in leaps and bounds, like bringing people to God, bringing people to Jesus, telling people about the good news of salvation. So, I asked myself, ‘My God, is this a person I’d like to hate?’ I can’t hate this person, I can’t,” she said.

Dina added that after that moment, she was able to let go of the bitterness, so much so that she gave Coney a bunch of white roses and told her she had forgiven her.

“I forgave her, I forgave Vic, I also sent him flowers, and I said, ‘I forgive you,’” she said. “But most of all, I forgive me.” — Carby Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News