The truth about the ‘Carlos/steroid’ rumor

 Your secrets are not necessarily safe with those bulky body-builders — people you don’t normally associate with tsismis. While they have big chest, big biceps and big arms, some of them also have a big mouth and could be the biggest gossips.

A few months ago, a body-builder friend from a former gym I used to frequent told me how Carlos Agassi is said to be dying. Carlos supposedly had too many steroids (to hasten the bulging of muscles) injected into his body and now his kidneys refuse to function. The guy is reportedly having regular dialysis and looks so thin — and is almost at the brink of death.

Shortly after, I made a rare visit to Gold’s Gym in Glorietta (I go more often to Gold’s in Robinsons Galleria) and the first person I saw was Carlos. From afar, I already took one good look at him and his body was in perfect shape. In fact, it was more than perfect (I guess he has to thank Gold’s for that). When he passed in front of me, we swapped hellos, but I didn’t want to bother him regarding the tsismis. Based on my assessment, that wasn’t the body of a sick person (far from it!) and so I didn’t want to ruin his day by asking him about this piece of gossip that was circulating in the world of physical fitness. Weeks later, I also saw him doing a guest appearance on a Q-11 show and I thought everything was in order in his corner of the universe.

Months passed and I thought rumors about him and his supposedly ill medical condition had died along with the careers of some Philippine Idol finalists, Pinoy Pop Superstar winners and Pinoy Big Brother ex-housemates (there — I’ve covered all networks).

The other Monday, however, Gold’s Galleria general manager Tony Reyes asked me if I could help Carlos with his problem. Tony didn’t have to go into details because I was aware of the issue. It turned out that Carlos was already very upset about the ugly rumor going around in the gym world (by now, even the clients at Slimmers’ World are asking me questions about it). He had even approached Gold’s Gym president Mylene Dayrit (she also writes a column for the health section of The STAR every Tuesday) so that she may help quash this piece of misinformation.

Tony and Ms. Mylene immediately thought of me since I do Startalk weekly. Sure, I will work it out — that very minute. In fact, in less than half an hour, I had talked to Startalk executive producer Reylie Manalo and had advised Tony that Carlos had been scheduled to guest on Startalk live — supposedly last Saturday.

Tony also worked fast. He immediately called Carlos on the phone to tell him about the Startalk guest stint — his chance to tell the world the truth about his medical condition. Too bad, Carlos had an out-of-town gig last Saturday (or did he just say that?). No problem — I said. We can always tape it. All he had to do was give us a schedule. I myself had an out-of-town schedule last week, but I canceled — waiting for Carlos to be available.

Tony and Mylene took turns getting in touch with Carlos, but he wasn’t picking up his phone. Tony followed him up every day and from my end, I was following up Tony and we looked like fools because apparently we were waiting for nothing. I wasted one whole week waiting — unable to accept appointments because what if Carlos all of a sudden became available?

Actually, I wasn’t really dying to interview Carlos, except that it was a commitment I made to Gold’s and the people there are all so wonderful, especially Mylene Dayrit, who is so nice, accommodating and very helpful. I don’t know how Carlos could have done that to her (to them) after all the support Gold’s Gym gave him. (He wouldn’t have had a body like that if it were not for Gold’s.)

Maybe he changed his mind and all of a sudden didn’t want to talk about the rumor about him being sick, dying and all. (That’s Tony’s assumption — he, too, is at a loss here.) All Carlos had to do was say so — and we would have understood and moved on with our respective lives.

And so the rumor continues to circulate — but that’s not my problem anymore.

According to the people at Gold’s Gym, the rumor about Carlos is just that — a rumor. He is in very good shape — works out even twice a day in Gold’s Glorietta. A fitness trainer who is with him there at all times even has this to say: “The kind of workout he does cannot be done by a sick man.” And certainly not one who is dying.

But with what he did to me — to us — the next time I see him, he’s dead meat. No, I take that back. I still wish him well and wish him a long, healthy life.

Unfortunately, since he has chosen to clam up, the rumor that he’s sick and dying remains alive and well and like some contagious disease may even worsen in the next telling.

(Editor’s Note: According to Carlos in a phone chat, he didn’t know that a TV interview was being arranged for him. Besides, he said he doesn’t want to talk about the rumor “that has been going around for years now” so as not to fan it further. All he’s taking, he added, is L-Men protein shake and not, never, steroids. “I have a healthy lifestyle, I eat healthy,” he stressed. He also said “so sorry”to Butch for the mix-up.)