Thea Tolentino shares the hardest thing about being a breadwinner

Thea Tolentino opened up about the hardest thing about being a breadwinner on Monday's episode of Mikee Quintos' show, "Lutong Bahay."

In the episode, Mikee and Chef Ylyt visited Thea and her best friend, Sor Ng, to cook Thea's creamy Tuscan shrimp pasta recipe and Chef Ylyt's sardines pasta.

While sampling the dishes they whipped up, Mikee shared that one of the things she admires the most about Thea is her being a breadwinner.

According to Thea, she has been a breadwinner since the beginning of her showbiz career, during her time in GMA Network's talent-search reality show "Protégé" in 2012.

The Sparkle star also shared about the most difficult thing about being a breadwinner.

"Pinakamahirap for me is 'yung kayanin mo na suportahan 'yung sarili mo emotionally and physically. Pag breadwinner, syempre monetary nag-h-help sa family, so bukod dun, sa 'kin hindi naman kasi ako maluho kaya parang okay lang sa'kin. Parang kinaya ko na lang din," she said.

She also believes that both nature and nurture have a role in the way a person deals with the challenges in their life, adding that her parents raising her to be humble helped a lot.

Thea supports her family voluntarily, although not fully.

"Parang magkukusa ka na rin eh kasi family. Nag-aabot ako,  hindi fully. Kasi ang hirap din nag-i-invest din tayo sa sarili natin."

The "Makiling" actress recalled the time she cried in church after being overwhelmed from her responsibilities.

"Na-fi-feel ko na 'yung weight tapos hindi ko siya malabas, so pumunta ako sa church and then iyak ko nang iyak. Nung day na 'yun, hindi ko sinabi sa parents ko, you can help your family, but pinaka-importante talaga is tulungan mo muna sarili mo because how can you help other people if you yourself na-lo-lost ka?" she said.

She added that she felt pressured after her dad had a heart attack and her mom, a stroke.

"Parang dun lang ako na-pressure na parang kapag wala akong sapat na kita, what if mag-isip ulit sila? Anytime kasi, 'yung health, dun lang ako na-p-pressure."

In "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda" in September 2023, Thea shared that traveling alone is a breather for her as a breadwinner.

The actress joined "Protégé" in 2012 and eventually won the competition, with Jeric Gonzales as her male counterpart.

She previously starred in "Makiling" with Elle Villanueva and Derrick Monasterio. She has also starred in "The Half Sisters" with Barbie Forteza," "Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters," "Lolong," and more.

Catch "Lutong Bahay" on weekdays at 5:45 p.m. on GTV.