EXCLUSIVE: "You Just Know"—Ellen Adarna Talks About Manifesting The One And Falling In Love With Derek Ramsay
"I'm ready. I can say that I'm ready and I'm not scared anymore," she says
Ellen Adarna wasn't looking for a man.
It wasn't that she was anti-relationships, she was really just happy. She was happy with how things were going for her in terms of career, personal growth, and mommy-hood that romance wasn't necessary to help her feel a sense of fulfillment with where she was at. In fact, she was always incredibly vocal about never wanting to get married, so much so that she's half-joked, half-threatened past partners that if they ever brought up the subject of marriage, it would be the end for them.
And yet—here she is, engaged to Derek Ramsay and indisputably in love.
So how do you go from where she was just a few months ago—a single gal not looking for love and convinced she was never going to say "I do" in front of the altar—to a blushing bride-to-be who's now planning for her wedding alongside her future life partner?
It's a great story to tell, but it's even better if it comes from Ellen herself.
We sat down with the newly-engaged beauty, who's our Metro.Style cover star, for an exclusive interview about her love story-turned-happily ever after a well as all the other awesome things going on in her colorful life these days.
Check out the highlights from the interview in the gallery below:
Ellen Adarna on Metro Talks
Ellen Adarna on Metro Talks
Lessons from 2020
Balance is the word that comes to Ellen's mind when she thinks of her biggest takeaways from 2020, arguably the toughest year ever for many people. She says she learned it from "Kokoro"—aside from being a Japanese novel, it's also a Japanese word that's roughly translated to the invisible, yet very powerful, connections of mind, body, and heart or spirit. It's one of those culturally embedded words that can be challenging to explain to foreigners, but at least for Ellen, she didn't have to learn Japanese to figure out how Kokoro can positively impact her life. "It made me more aware of things... It woke me up," she says about it.
A turn to spirituality
It wasn't just Kokoro that Ellen explored in the last few months. Spirituality in general was something she embraced, and according to her, spirituality was something that's helping her organize her life during the pandemic. She even gives a couple of pointers for beginners who want to become a little more attuned to themselves, the world, and basically the big picture of life: first, begin with paying attention to your breathing (as you would during mindfulness practices like meditation), and second, practice! It sounds "easy" to slow down and become mindful, but you'll be surprised with how much it takes to train ourselves to quiet our minds and become comfortable with stillness. The ultimate benefit of this for Ellen was that she's learned to live in the here and now—be present today, in the moment, rather than dwell on the past or worry over things in the future she can't control or know yet.
Notes on motherhood
"The happiness is indescribable," Ellen says. She's a mom to Elias, who turns three this year. And though it can be challenging to be a single celebrity mom who can be scrutinized for her every parenting move, she's still very much fulfilled by the lifelong role. Thinking back to her own family experiences as a young woman, Ellen says she's thankful for her own parents that raised her to be strong—something she's now giving back to her own son.
Accessorizing her way
The whole point of getting glammed up for Ellen is so she feels good about herself. Looking beautiful is one thing, but it has to be a look, an OOTD, or a piece of jewelry that gives you that boost of confidence. She's a simple, low-key dresser overall with a fuss-free style, but her latest cover shoot with Metro had her wear some pretty eye-catching pieces from Sep Vergara Jewelry. Her favorites? The pear-shaped ring, for sure, because it was simple and reminded her of an engagement ring.
Being "bulletproof" against negativity
A decade in showbiz has taught Ellen how to, well, not care—at least when it comes to situations where the ultimate goal is to see her fail and get hurt. "It doesn't really bother me at this point anymore," she shares, adding that learning to ignore ill-intentioned people is also something she learned how to do over time.
Finding "The One"
"I think you just know," she gushes. She laughs at the thought of now being an almost-bride, because, believe it or not, she always thought of herself as the kind of woman who didn't exactly look forward to her wedding day. She didn't see marriage as something "for her" and didn't totally understand when she had girl friends tell her that they've found their "The One." She had such a strong opinion on never getting married that she admits to even telling past partners that if they ever brought up the topic, they can be sure that she's breaking up with them, no hesitations. And then she met Derek Ramsay. And then Derek proposed. And just like that, her feelings about settling down did a 180-degree change. "I can say I'm ready. I'm not scared anymore," she tells us. "I'm ready because I think I met the right person for me, the one who I'm compatible with," she adds.
How finding "The One" happened
It was in January this year when Ellen met Derek over dinner and drinks. She was with her director, producer, and handler, and then came Derek who joined them. (She would later find out that Derek actually planned on being there—it was on purpose that he wanted to "formally meet" Ellen). The two exchanged contact details and Ellen would hear from him throughout the year, but conversations would be limited to asking each other fitness questions. ("Nothing flirty," Ellen jokes). That is, until Christmastime when Ellen made her back to Manila. Part of her city routine was taking regular walks around her neighborhood, something that prompted Derek to send her a text saying, "Hey neighbor!" Ellen didn't even reply in the beginning. She claims she wasn't all that into him just yet. Things just developed, we suppose, and the rest was history. These days, she's happiest about their open communication; she's honest with him about her feelings, good and bad, and his non-judgmental stance towards her. The rest of his qualities she loves just as much—his fairness, drive, dashing good looks, and that he's smart, too, she says. "Perfection. It's what I asked for!" she beams.
All about "theta healing"
Ellen claims the theta healing she did in November helped bring Derek into her life this way. Theta healing is basically an approach to meditation and mindfulness, and it helps strengthen our intuition and the connection of our emotional states and physical well-being. According to the Theta Healing website, it is "a training method for your mind, body and spirit that allows you to clear limiting beliefs and live life with positive thoughts, developing virtues in all that we do." You can engage in theta healing sessions with an intention (a prayer of sorts) that you train your mind to manifest (to turn into reality). At the time, Ellen was single and happy living life as a single woman, but she was invited to join in on a theta healing session that focused on soulmate manifestation. "At first, ayaw kong maniwala," Ellen says, even though her friend who was also leading the session claimed that most of her clients found their soulmates less than three months after a session with her. With quite a bit of doubt, Ellen thought, "Who will fall in love in this pandemic?" And then she met Derek in January, and things clicked, and made sense.
Watch our full Metro Talks interview with Ellen Adarna below:
Lead photographs by Mark Nicdao | Gallery photos from @maria.elena.adarna
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