Zsa Zsa, Conrad split up!

MANILA, Philippines – “We tried but it didn’t work.”

With that, Zsa Zsa Padilla confirmed through her spokesperson that she and celebrity architect Conrad Onglao have split up.

The short-lived (barely two years) romance between the two people into their early 50s caught the fancy of the public when they went public after The STAR broke the story in a “blind item” in early 2014, which was soon picked up by other publications.

Zsa Zsa and Conrad were introduced to each other by Sharon Cuneta who happens to be Zsa Zsa and Conrad’s mutual friend. Conrad was then working on Sharon’s house while Zsa Zsa was still grieving over the death of her longtime partner Dolphy who succumbed to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) two years earlier (in 2012).

By then, both were fancy-free. Conrad’s marriage to his first wife, also an architect, was annulled. 

In an interview with Katrina Stuart Santiago for Metro Society magazine (June 2014 issue), Conrad expressed reluctance about dating what he called “an artista.” Quote-unquote: “When Sharon said that she wanted to introduce me to Zsa Zsa, I said, ‘Sharon, I don’t like artistas, because I’m not used to the attention. I’m very low key.” 

Spoken too soon, it turned out.

— Photos by Philip Sison courtesy of Metro Society magazine

As soon as their romance hit the headlines, Conrad was swept into the very transparent world of Zsa Zsa, not able to say no when invited (or pushed into) guesting on Zsa Zsa’s shows, applauding Zsa Zsa during her concerts and striking romantic poses for magazine covers like the one in Metro Society, even if, as he claimed, he didn’t have any idea that Zsa Zsa is a singer, while Zsa Zsa had heard about Conrad through friends like Sharon who is among Conrad’s elite clientele.

It didn’t take long before the two became a couple. They traveled abroad, until Zsa Zsa decided to move out of her and Dolphy’s Marina house (in the vicinity of Solaire Resort & Casino) and into Conrad’s well-appointed house in Makati, reportedly even if her daughters frowned on it.

In September last year, Zsa Zsa proudly announced their engagement, showing her engagement ring on her Instagram as she looked forward to their wedding said to be scheduled abroad (in Italy?). It would have been a fulfillment of the ardent dream of Zsa Zsa who was never able to march down the aisle with Dolphy due to legal impediment. Her marriage to dentist Modesto Tatlonghari was annulled. They have a daughter, Karylle, who is married to band member Yael Yuzon.

Until a few months ago, Zsa Zsa had been hinting at that impending wedding that would never be. Last week, she announced that there would be no marriage after all.

And now, the break-up.

The STAR source (who is close to the un-couple) said that Zsa Zsa has gone back to her Marina home.

“How sad that what could have been a beautiful marriage ended this way,” the source sighed.

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