Lovely Abella-Manalo (born on December 11, 1986), is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

dancer, host, comedian, model, entrepreneur, and an actress. She is currently under the management of

Sparkle GMA Artist Center Sparkle (formerly GMA Artist Center, also known as Sparkle GMA Artist Center and GMA Talent Management and Development Department) is the talent agency owned by GMA Network Inc. based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines that was founded ...

and

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

Personal life

Abella is an Ilongga, she was born and raised in Koronadal, South Cotabato,

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

. Her mother is from Bacolod while her father is from South Cotabato. She has a daughter named Crisha Kaye, and is married to long time relationship with Benj Manalo, son of actor-comedian

Jose Manalo Ariel Pagtalonia Manalo (born February 12, 1966), known professionally as Jose Manalo, is a Filipino actor, director, and comedian best known for appearing regularly on the noon-time variety show ''Eat Bulaga!'' on GMA Network. He is also known ...

. In August 2020, Abella contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. She was asymptomatic throughout her quarantine and eventually made a recovery.

Career

During her teenage years, Abella said that she used to be one of the pranksters in '' Bitoy's Funniest Videos'' portraying as a massage therapist in

Boracay Boracay (; often locally shortened to Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of three barangays in Malay, Ak ...

to prank customers. According to her, this was her first-ever acting/comedy stint way back in 2004. This minor appearance opened doors for her as she was given a slot to be one of the '' Wowowee Dancers''. Abella was also previously known as one of the main dancers of

Willie Revillame Wilfredo Buendia Revillame (; born January 27, 1961), popularly known as Willie Revillame, is a Filipino television host, comedian, singer, songwriter, actor, and businessman. Career Revillame started out as the host of GMA Network's noontime ...

in ''

Wil Time Bigtime ''Wil Time Bigtime'' (formerly known as ''Willing Willie'') is a Philippine primetime variety-game show broadcast by TV5. The show premiered on October 23, 2010, with its main host Willie Revillame. The show commemorated its first anniversary ...

'' when the latter moved to TV5, but was later promoted to a co-host due to her natural hosting skills and bubbly personality; giving her the opportunity to be one of the mainstays in Willie's game shows until ''

Wowowillie ''Wowowillie'' is a Philippine noontime variety show aired by TV5. The show premiered on January 26, 2013, and was broadcast live from TV5's Delta Studio in Quezon City, with its main host and producer, Willie Revillame. The show earned the di ...

''. Her rising career in the network gave her many opportunities, such as guesting in various shows and even dedicating an episode for her in '' Star Confessions'' in which she shared her own life story. Before she got her major break in

, Abella made a number of roles as an extra in various shows for both TV5 and

; most notably in '' Madam Chairman'', '' Carmela'', ''

2½ Daddies '' Daddies'' is a Philippine television sitcom that aired on TV5 since January 24, 2015, starring Robin Padilla, Rommel Padilla and BB Gandanghari. It airs every Saturday at 8:00pm ( PST) after '' Tropa Mo Ko Unli Spoof''. The sitcom has been p ...

'', and ''

Buena Familia ''Buena Familia'' () is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Gil Tejada Jr., it stars Kylie Padilla and Julie Anne San Jose. It premiered on July 28, 2015 on the network's Afternoon Prime line up replacing ' ...

'' where she was left uncredited and unknown for that time being. She briefly had her comedic acting stint in ''

A1 Ko Sa 'Yo ''A1 Ko Sa 'Yo'' (stylized from "Ewan Ko Sa Yo" / / international title: ''You're My A1'') is a 2016 Philippine television situational comedy series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Randy Santiago, it stars Jaclyn Jose, Gardo Versoza and ...

'' before she got her major supporting role in ''

Calle Siete ''Calle Siete'' () is a 2016 Philippine television drama comedy series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Monti Parungao, it stars Ryzza Mae Dizon, Eula Valdez and Christian Vasquez. It premiered on June 13, 2016 on the network's afternoon ...

'' as ''Bonifacia "Bonnie" Suarez''. Her biggest break in GMA Network was when she auditioned to be one of the cast members of the weekend noon-time variety show, ''

Sunday PinaSaya ''Sunday PinaSaya'' () is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Ai-Ai delas Alas, Marian Rivera, Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo, it premiered on August 9, 2015 on the network's Sunday Grande sa Hapon line up rep ...

'' where she shortly appeared as a guest before becoming a mainstay cast. Due to her potentials in comedy, she was included as a new ''

Bubble Gang ''Bubble Gang'' is a Philippine television sketch comedy show broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Frasco Mortiz, it stars Michael V. It premiered on October 20, 1995 on the network's Friday night line up replacing '' Vilma''. The show is t ...

'' member. Even though she's been exposed to comedy shows as of now, she's still undergoing drama and acting workshops to improve her craft. Abella was cast in the prime-time series, '' D' Originals'', where she played her first-ever major antagonist role as Cristina "Tina" Pineda, a rival and the half-sister of Marge. She has since been frequently cast in various drama series and anthologies offered by

and GMA News TV.

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abella, Lovely Living people Filipino female dancers People from South Cotabato GMA Network personalities TV5 (Philippine TV network) personalities 1986 births