Fit and healthy Kapamilya host Iya Villania covers Health Today Magazine February 2012 issue
Although she has basically been on cam everyday throughout her nine-year showbiz career, Iya Villania has yet to be the subject of any gossip or intrigues. The 25-year-old is a recognizable face on local television, with regular hosting duties on shows like Umagang Kay Ganda, Us Girls, ASAP Rocks and I Dare You. But this celebrity still makes sure to keep some parts of her life away from the public eye.
At 16, the pretty Fil-Aussie beauty originally moved to the country to become a singer. But fate had other plans for her. “I came here to try it out talaga in showbiz. I actually came here to be a performer. That’s what I wanted in life, pero hindi yun ’yung ginusto ni Lord para sa akin (laughs). My first [jobs] were ads for a telecom and I also did something for a soda drink. He made me a dancer, an actress, a host, everything but what I actually wanted to do,” she admits.
In between jobs, Iya finished her studies on time and graduated with a Psychology degree from De La Salle University. “School was something I promised my parents and myself. I wanted to secure that first talaga. Kasi sayang lang ’yung nasimulan ko eh. Kaya talagang napilitan akong pagsabayin kahit mahirap,” she says. After landing her first regular gig as the host of Game Channel in 2003, Iya says it didn’t take her long to get settled in Manila. “I was never really scared because I look[ed] forward to new experiences,” she says.
Read the full article on how Iya Villania applies the discipline and energy of an active lifestyle, developed in her youth, to succeed in showbiz here by Rhea Manila Santos.