Carla Abellana calls high school sweetheart Reginald Santos 'first and last love'

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December 29, 2025 | 11:59am

MANILA, Philippines — Actress Carla Abellana called her love story with Reginald Santos a "full circle" moment — one that started when they were in high school and ended with each other as their first and last loves. 

“My first and last. A love story over 20 years in the making. Two lives coming full circle. This is our story. - Dr. and Mrs. Reginald Santos,” Carla wrote on Instagram. 

The actress, who was radiant in a Rosa Clara wedding gown, tied the knot with the doctor on Saturday, December 27, in a private ceremony in Tagaytay. 

Carla, who kept Reginald's identity a mystery until their weekend wedding, shared how their 20-year love story unfolded in the same-day-edit wedding video captured by Mayad Studios. 

“Sometimes the bad things that happen to us in our lives put us directly on the path towards the most wonderful things that will ever happen to us. Who would have known it was still going to be us in the end. Just when I stopped looking for anything and anyone, life surprised me in the most unexpected way. It felt familiar. It wasn't messy or uncertain. It was real. It was healthy,” Carla said during her wedding vow. 

Carla's previous relationship with actor Tom Rodriguez was a highly publicized separation. Reginald was similarly going through a phase in his life when he felt lost before he reconnected with his high school love. 

“Hi, my love. You’re beautiful, as always, it is that same beauty that captivated since I first laid eyes on you, I can still vividly remember we were in high school. We were young back then, we fell in love, and then life had other plans for us,” Reginald recalled. 

Carla agreed, and added that she once read about how a great love story happens when two people let go of one another only to eventually find their way back to each other. 

He went on to pursue medicine, while she became one of Philippine showbiz's most beautiful faces to grace Filipino TV screens. Years passed marred with a messy breakup for Carla. But as she continued to move past a heartbreak, she crossed paths again with a familiar face. 

“You were as I remember, kind, loving, selfless, God-fearing, we reconnected at the perfect time we are now the best versions of ourselves,” Reginald said.

Carla said she could never imagine a life if she had never reconnected with her first love. 

"I've never laughed so good, eaten so much, slept so comfortably, learned a lot about life, communicated well, been taken care of this way and so much more before you happened again," Carla admitted. 

Reginald said that with Carla back in his life, everthing is more enjoyable  — from their simple TV nights to traveling the world with her. 

The couple who went through a lot during the time when they were looking for themselves ended their vows with a deep understanding of their luck in finding each other again. 

For Carla, Reginald's presence in her life again meant the "clearest answer" to her "painful whys." 

For Reginald who was lost and trying to find peace with himself, every single step was "worth it," declaring that he is "home at last." 

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