Donita Rose was working in Singapore as MTV Asia's star VJ when her life took a 180-degree turn.
That was in 2002 when settling down, and years later, a hosting career in Manila beckoned.
When PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) spotted her recently at the oXygen fashion show in SMX Convention Center, her bubbly opening was, "Things are great!"
Although she's not as visible on TV as before, Donita still enjoys hosting ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda, which has kept her busy since 2007.
Even closer to her heart are the two most important guys in her life—her son Joshua Paul (or JP) and husband Eric Villarama, who used to be a senior art designer in Singapore.
With a wide smile, she tells us, "My son is now five; he's almost six years old. Parang kelan lang, 'no. Ang laki na niya. How time flies!"
Shifting our conversation to her charming husband, she giggles like a teenager,"We're going out tonight... sana kaya ko pa kasi, I woke up at 3:00 a.m. kanina."
It has been three years since she and Eric Villarama decided to settle down here in Manila. Donita related, "I moved back Manila because of Umagang Kay Ganda. Two to three months after I moved back, sumunod na siya [from Singapore]."
The couple have been married for seven years, and Donita smiles, "So far, so good." .
What's ahead on the home front?
She says, "I wanna have another baby soon. But I'm looking for the right time to have one. We're thinking of next year."
MORE TV PROJECTS? Career-wise, she's presently focused on hosting. Aside from UKG, she does "sideline hosting jobs pag weekends."
Any plan to go back to acting?
Donita quickly replies that she loves being with her family, but— pausing reflectively—"I'm at a stage right now where I still enjoy being on television."
She explains, "I was talking to Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, and I was telling her I don't know what God is doing to me because parang my heart just wants to be with her family.
"And [Maricel] goes, 'Naku, seasonal iyan. You go through a period in your life where you want be with your family, and then, you go through a period of your life where it's time to go back to your career.'"
So, when will she be ready to accept more television projects?
She answered, smiling, "I love doing Umagang Kay Ganda everyday, but you know, I don't really know where it's gonna go from here."