Mikee Cojuangco reveals sporting injury jumpstarted her showbiz career

In the latest episode of “Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel,” Mikee Cojuangco revealed it was an injury that allowed her to carve a path in showbiz.

“I was 17 when the Swatch commercial came out,” the athlete-turned-actress told Pia. “And since that time, I was getting offers.”

Mikee was initially hesitant to accept them. Back then, she was a senior high school student and a national athlete, familiar with the demands of "buhay showbiz."

“Alam ko na ang buhay showbiz kasi nakikita ko si Kris [Aquino] tapos sometimes, she'll get me to visit her, ganun, so nakikita ko rin,” she said.

But then Mikee suffered an injury and needed more time to recuperate. 

“I was very frustrated," she admitted. "Since the age of ten, imagine, I was riding almost every day,” she looked back.

Instead of getting frustrated over her injury, the athlete decided to say yes to all those offers and keep herself busy with acting instead.

"My mom said, 'you know, every opportunity that comes your way, you should take it, and for all you know, you [might] love it,'" Mikee said.

True enough, she eventually fell in love with acting and the people she got to work with. And on top of that, she got to sustain her equestrian dreams through her earnings in showbiz.

"I love the work. I love the people that I work with. So, para sa akin, it was really such a blessing. And not only that, it helped me support myself in sports," she added.

At the height of her showbiz career, Mikee joined "Eat Bulaga!" as a host and starred in several movies such as "Manalo Matalo, Mahal Kita," "DoReMi," and headlined 1994's "Forever" with Aga Mulach — all while keeping up with sports.

In 2002, Mikee bagged a gold medal in the individual show jumping event at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

In 2020, she was elected board member of the International Olympic Committee. Two years after, Mikee joined the 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay.

Listen to the podcast and learn more about Mikee Cojuangco. — LA, GMA News