new marriage for her newly crushed woman. But not Dayanara Torres. Find out how she's handling her pain in this GH Philippines exclusive.

The weariness of being in pain for a long time. You could sense it in her voice. Her divorce settlement stops Dayanara Torres from speaking ill of her ex-husband, salsa singer Marc Anthony. She would be fined, her publicist warns. But you could sense that she is careful not only because she doesn't want a court censure. Her voice is deep and clear, not the high-pitched, singsong one Filipinos came to know well in the 1990s. As she speaks, one could sense her acceptance of her situation and her resolve to move on.

All the papers carried the news that would be a one-two knockout punch to anyone of weaker stuff: Just four days after a Dominican Republic judge officially untied their four-year matrimonial knot, Marc Anthony married pop superstar Jennifer Lopez.

During the GH long-distance phone interview, Dayanara refused to talk about her ex, his relationship with their two sons, his marriage to J. Lo. Anything about him. Was she warned? Their Dominican divorce papers specify that Marc and Dayanara be fined US$10,000 each time they speak disparagingly of the other.

In late June, at a photo shoot with Latina magazine some two weeks after the Anthony-Lope wedding, entertainment program Access Hollywood, whose crew was also present at the shoot, quoted her as saying, “There's really nothing I can say that will take that pain away for even a second.”

To Latina magazine, Dayanara admitted to having been sad all the time. “Just because it didn't work out doesn't mean that I have to hate him, and I don't—I'm sorry, I don't,” her voice breaking, trying to describe her feelings about her ex. “No matter what, he's the father of my kids, and I could never, ever wish him bad. It just didn't work.” Maybe she didn't want to talk because she's done talking and crying.

Because to GHM, Dayanara says, “I'm great, doing fine. Little by little, I'm adjusting to the situation. The kids help me with their smiles. I live for them. Life goes on. You need to continue and be happy for your kids. I've been blessed with two beautiful boys who are healthy and smart. I also have a family who loves me unconditionally. I'm thankful.”

Our beauty queen
The news reports from Hollywood were really about Marc Anthony and J. Lo, but in the Philippine they hit a special nerve. The Pinoys followed Dayanara's life as Mars. Marc Anthony. Their marriage seemed rocky: They had separated, gotten back together, renewed their vows, and finally divorced each other (see “Two wedding, one ending”). After all, Dayanara Torres is the country's adopted Miss Universe. Fondly, we all called her Yari. In 1994, she was just supposed to stay for the crowning of her successor Sushmita Sen, but her easy charm won over the Pinoy audience. And she obliged us with a longer stay. She made movies, hosted television shows, and did commercials.

And Yari remembers how well she was loved here—and everywhere there are Pinoys. When she's in Los Angeles , she says Filipinos would stop her, recognizing the Hispanic beauty who gave of her time and talent to the Philippines . A year or so after her reign as Miss Universe, she even set up the Dayanara Torres Foundation Inc., which gave aid and scholarships to poor families both in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

“I love the Philippines ,” she says. “It's my favorite place. It has opened so many doors for me. Maybe I will go back. I miss a lot.” Anyone or anything in particular? “I miss the friends I've there. I miss ASAP, Eezzy Dancing, working on TV, the food, the islands, Boracay. I would love to go back.” But she's quick to add, there are no plans yet.

What about Aga Muhlach? Her boyfriend once upon a time? Does she miss him? She dismisses the questions' teasing a tone and says their parting wasn't bitter. [The breakup] was actually nothing. Things just didn't work out. After Aga, I moved on. I went to Puerto Rico to start my singing career.” Following Yari's divorce in June, Aga was asked by local showbiz reporters to comment and he said he feels her pain. The actor himself to another dancing beauty queen, Charlene Gonzales, with whom he has twins—a son and a daughter.

The 1993 Miss Universe says she's open to doing a movie in the Philippines—yes, including one with Aga—except that she doesn't want to be apart from her sons, three-year-old Christian and one-year-old Ryan, for very long periods. “I'll see if it's a great project. Movies are little more complicated now. I prefer to do commercials and guest appearances, when I can be away for only four or five days at a time.”

Career milestones
After conquering the Philippines with her grace and beauty, she returned home to Puerto Rico . From there, she worked to establish herself as an international celebrity, gracing the covers of various magazines. Across Latin and South America , Asia , Europe , and the US , she has sung, danced acted, and modeled. Her face sold various products like Diet Coke, Pantene ProV, and Carefree.

When Yari got married in 2000, she devoted herself to the role of wife and mother. “I wanted a regular life. I stopped working and became a mom and was busy with all kind of stuff associated with it. This was important. Although I missed working.” Note that she did not specify wife. It was if she was trying to erase that part of herself.

Shortly after the divorce, perhaps spurred by survival ad mother's instinct, she proceeded to get her career back on track. After all, she was singing, acting, and doing commercials before Marc Anthony. Also, the alimony and child support weren't exactly what one would expect from an internationally known singer show debut album went multi-platinum. According to the dailies, she gets US$3,500 a month and the kids US$6,500 a month each; the mansion in Miami , Florida ; a house in San Juan , Puerto Rico ; and a BMW and a Lincoln . Not bad, but not spectacular either. Certainly not enough for all the heartache.t>