Amy shares the secret of finding joy in The Club

Amy Austria, Esmeralda Tuazon Ventura in real life, became the family breadwinner when she entered show business at the early age of 14. "For the most part, I was successful. At 17, I had my first acting award. Consequently, I made more movies, earned more awards, and amassed more wealth, allowing me to live independently," she says.

Amy’s career was cut short, though, when she met and fell in love with the late Jay Ilagan. "I was 21 and he was 27 when we decided to live together without the benefit of marriage. I was so in love that I quit show business just so I could focus on him and our relationship."

The couple lived together until that tragic vehicular accident that resulted in Jay’s death in 1992. "I was devastated. I could not believe he could go just like that. I missed him so terribly that I even thought of taking my own life."

To assuage her loneliness, Amy sought solace in men and drugs but to no avail. She felt so lonely without Jay and thought it would help to enter into another relationship. "I moved from one relationship to another and sad to say, none of them satisfied my longing for love and affection. But I was afraid to be alone so I continued to engage in bad relatioships."

Enlightenment came when she joined a Bible study four years ago. "After almost a year of regular Bible study, I sought God’s help to put my life back together. And He failed me not."

Happily married for almost two years now, Amy considers her wedding day the best day of her life. "It was the first time in my life that I felt worthy. After a series of adulterous relationships, I never thought of spending the rest of my life with a man who loves me enough to take me for who I am."

Amy shares the secret of finding real joy in tomorrow’s episode of The Club, 12 midnight over GMA 7 (with replays on Sunday, Nov. 12, 7:30 a.m. at GMA 7 and Tuesday, Nov. 15, 10 p.m. on ZOE Channel 11).