FHM X: A Decade of Sexy
 
Exclusive Q&A with Dina Bonnevie

INTERVIEW BY: ROMMEL LLANES

March 20, 2010

Before all the cougars came clawing in, and before all them MILFs, there was miss Dina Bonnevie. Looking arresting in her December 2001 cover appearance, our dear miss D certainly made her point, made men look twice, made women feel empowered, too.

She then posed for the cover of the 2002 Girls of FHM special, and then from 95, shot up to number 12 in the 2002 FHM 100 Sexiest List Women of the World. Look for that issue and the nothingness that you will encounter will only prove what we've always felt: miss Dina is a goddess.

We caught up with her for a quick, exclusive chat. Miss D, here's to the good ol' days! Kampai!

Aside from being one of the best selling covers of FHM, your 2001 cover is now considered a classic among FHM readers. How do you feel about it?
Well, I’m honored to know that it is one of the best selling covers and [that] it’s considered a classic, a collector’s item already for FHM fans. Of course I feel thrilled. Considering na hindi naman bastos yung cover ko. I really didn’t bare naman myself as much as the other covers, compared sa other covers. Hindi naman grabe yung sa akin.

We heard it took a lot of convincing for you to pose for FHM?
I was hesitant. Because first of all, lahat ng nagpo-pose diyan, dalaga.  E, I already have two kids and I’m 40. I mean, why would I pose for a magazine like that, e, I’m already 40. Di ba parang wrong timing yata?

And then, Lisa Gokongwei, Arnold’s friend—I think she was my gym mate— told Arnold [Vegafria] who was my manager then, “Arnold, gusto kong maging cover si Dina. Wow, ang sexy niya. Now that she’s here in the gym, gusto ko talaga siyang maging cover.” “O, why don’t you tell her,” sabi ni Arnold. “Nahihiya ako, e. I don’t know how to approach her,” [Lisa said].

One day, she just came up to me as I was taking my protein shake. Sabi niya, “Hi, by the way, I’m Lisa Gokongwei, I’m a friend of Arnold’s. Can we ask you to pose for FHM?” Sabi ko, “What’s your plan ba? Why me?” E kasi nga, it’s all young [ladies posing for FHM].

But [Lisa said] “You know, you’re fabulous at 40. It’s hard to find somebody who’s 40 but still looking great,” and all that. Pero sabi ko, ayoko ng hubaran. Because I don’t bare, like my breast or my butt. Because the farthest that I can go is in a bikini. So yun, sinunod naman nila. Then they scheduled the pictorial.

So during the pictorial, wala namang na-bare, kasi nga meron namang sheets, and I was wearing a bikini. And yung sheets on top—I’m talking about the first cover ha, because I already did two covers for FHM—what they did was, they erased the string of the bikini para magmukhang walang suot.

Siyempre, you know it stunned most of the people, para bang, “What, Dina Bonnevie? Hindi naman yan bomba star, or porno star or, pene queen or whatever!” Parang na-curious yung mga tao.

What was your reaction when people started labeling you as the sexiest 40-year-old?
Siyempre, una talaga nabigla ako. Because I didn’t think that it would create an impact like that. Parang na-shock ako. At that time, I was going towards corporate.

I’ve been corporate since 1992 but people didn’t know that I was already corporate and I already have my own shipping agency then. You know, I was already geared to doing corporate and ayoko na sanang mag-showbiz nun. But because of that, dumami na naman ang offers sa akin, sunud-sunod. But the strangest reaction was from my son.

What was Oyo’s reaction then?
“Mommy, nakakahiya ka talaga. Yung mga classmate ko pinagpipiyestahan yung FHM mo. Grabe napapahiya ako, ganyan-ganyan.” And he said it during the time when we were having lunch or dinner with Vic [Sotto, her ex-husband], kasi graduation niya.

Sabi ni Vic, “Ba’t ganyan ang reaction mo sa nanay mo? Suwerte ka nga,” sabi niyang gano’n. Tapos sabi ni Oyo, “Ano?” Sabi ni Vic, “Sabi ko, masuwerte ka, maasim pa nanay mo. Ba’t ganyan ang reaction mo? Bah, you should be proud.” Gano’n si Vic.

‘Tapos the following week, he [Oyo] came to the house. “Mommy, wala bang ibinigay sa iyong complimentary copies yung FHM? Hindi na kasi ako makakuha ng copy, e. I want to buy for myself.” Sabi ko, padadalhan daw nila ako, e, pero wala pa.

Eventually, may dumating nga, sampu. Pero I don’t know, nagulat na lang ako, just two months ago… Kasi nga, sabi ko two years na lang, 50 [years old] na ako, then I was really working out doing yoga and badminton, tapos nagpa-check up ako sa Medical City, so they changed my eating habit, and everything, kasi nga sabi ko, parang I’m gaining weight, because palaging walang tulog sa taping. Now that I’m out of the soap, I want to concentrate on talagang being fit.

Nung nakita ko siya [complimentary copies], dadalawa na lang ang kopya. Then nag-flashback sa akin yung istorya that time. He came home from school, sabi niya, “Ma, wala na bang complimentary copies?” Sabi ko, bakit? “Kasi bumibili ang kaklase ko, e. Kahit 750 [pesos] raw ang isa.” Sabi ko, “Walang hiya ka, pinagkuwartahan mo pa ang nanay mo, ginawa mo pa akong negosyo!” Sabi niya, “E naseseksihan sila sa ‘yo, e.”

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