Lucy Torres
One of the loveliest faces in showbiz, Lucy Torres is better known as the wife of Richard Gomez. Heiress to an immense sugar plantation in Ormoc, Leyte, this haciendera was just a simple probinsyana before she married the Adonis of Philippine Cinema. The two met when she they were shooting together for a LUX Shampoo commercial. Lucy’s beautiful face and long, shiny black hair made an impression on the TV ad. Lucy and Richard started going out only when they were shooting the last episode of their commercial. The pair married in 1998 in a lavish ceremony in Lucy’s hometown, and the event was dubbed the Wedding of the Year.
Marriage to Richard quickly entrusted Lucy to the limelight. This simple homebody suddenly became a big celebrity. She starred with Richard in the comedy sitcom Richard Loves Lucy, where they played a married couple. Other projects came in for Lucy, along with numerous product endorsements, such as Pantene shampoo and Purefoods. Several years after they were first married, Lucy finally got pregnant with their first child and gave birth to daughter Juliana.
Lucy had her share of controversies. When she was still with Richard and Lucy, Lucy was criticized for saying a dialogue that contains negative remarks against Ifugao natives. In 2003, she was implicated in a blind item in The Manila Standard who described her as a wife of a famous guy, and that the woman was allegedly caught shoplifting in Rustan’s. The scandal made showbiz headlines then, which the couple ignored. It was only in 2005 that Lucy addressed the issue, challenging the gossips to show any evidence that she has indeed shoplifted in the high-scale store. The source of the gossip was never identified.
Troubles aside, the lovely star is very happy with being a wife and mother. Lucy’s career is still doing great, doing hosting jobs for shows like A Sweet Life and Shall We Dance, where her dancing skills are displayed. She is one the endorsers of celebrity surgeon Vicki Belo, and one of the staple endorsers of Bench, in which Richard was the first model. Along with daughter Juliana, the three are considered Bench Royalty.