Gloria Romero 

MANILA, Philippines – Screen legend Gloria Romero was that beautiful, especially in her younger days, that she would get an average of two marriage proposals a month from admirers.

This was the story of former Pangasinan representative Gina de Venecia during her eulogy for the veteran actress. 

“Tita Gloria would receive an average of two marriage proposals per month from strangers who fell in love with her,” De Venecia said. 

Sad for the hopefuls, Romero’s choice as a husband was former matinee idol Juancho Gutierrez who caught the eyes of the “Dalagang Ilokana” star right on that she declared to be his future wife the first time she saw him. 

Gloria Romero 

Maritess Gutierrez, their only child recalled the story of how her mom promised to be Mrs. Gutierrez. 

“My mom was working in Sampaguita. My dad arrived in a car. He was wearing a pink shirt and white pants. Sa malayo, my mom said, ‘Sino ‘yan? Ang guwapo naman niyan. Yan ang magiging asawa ko,” Gutierrez said. 

Her presence then would create a commotion among fans wanting to see her in person. 

De Venecia recalled her sister Chona Vera-Perez’ story of having witnessed the impact of Romero on her fans during her younger years. 

“As per the recollection of my sister Chona, she was so traumatized with the premiere night of one of Tita Gloria’s movies because after the movie was shown, she was on her way out and after she rode the car, she was surrounded by all her fans shaking the car wanting to have a glimpse of her, and it will cause a pandemonium” De Venecia said. 

Romero also was even not allowed to cut her hair short at the start of her career, said De Venecia. 

Looking at her photos and movies during the ‘50s and the ‘60s, she was the perfect girl with snowy white skin, long ebony hair and a presence so regal she would compete with Old Hollywood goddesses. 

Romero’s beauty was so ethereal, she would be cast as the Blessed Virgin Mary in the play Martir sa Golgota, staged at the Manila Grand Opera House. 

Gloria Romero as Blessed Virgin Mary 

Years later, she would reprise being Mama Mary in the Lenten Special of defunct teen-oriented variety program “That’s Entertainment.” 

In an interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, actress Boots Anson Roa, a close friend of Romero praised the beauty of the movie queen. 

“Talagang perfect yung beauty niya, whether you take the face as a whole…,” Roa said. 

“Pero para sa akin, it was because of her interior life. It was the inner glow that radiated sa labas,” she said. 

Comedian Joey Marquez, one of the main cast of defunct ‘90s sitcom “Palibhasa Lalake” who she worked with for over a decade regards her as the “most beautiful actress.”