Inside Maricel Soriano’s spine struggle and her surprising recovery story

The Diamond Star opens up about her past medical scare, recovery, and why she now prioritizes health more than ever.

Veteran actress Maricel Soriano opened up about a serious spine condition she had when she was younger, saying the experience pushed her to become more mindful of her health as she grew older.

In a vlog interview with jewelry founder and chair Charo Cordial, Soriano even demonstrated how she used to walk before undergoing a medical procedure on her spine.

“Lolang-lola,” she said, describing her condition at the time.

“Nag-meeting muna kami ng doctor sa bahay. Actually, hindi siya surgery, it’s a procedure. Isang araw lang, ang tawag disco plastic. May apat o walo yata na turok ng karayom,” she shared.

She added how quickly the recovery surprised her. “Paggising ko, nakatihaya ako. Tapos sabi, ‘upo ka.’ Upo naman ako. ‘Lakad ka,’ so lakad naman ako. Walang masakit ha? Wala talaga akong nararamdamang pain. Tapos sabi, ‘pwede ka nang umuwi.’ I was like, ‘Ha?’ Gano’n lang, one day lang ang procedure.”

Because of this experience, Soriano emphasized the importance of taking care of one’s body, warning that ignored health issues can lead to more serious problems later on.

Beyond her health story, the actress also shared a lighter moment with the jeweler/vlogger about losing some of her diamond jewelry pieces, which she said were taken by a household helper.

The conversation also turned to her public image as someone perceived to be “mataray.” Soriano laughed off the label when asked about it.

“Mataray ka raw na artista, ‘Nay?”

“Mataray ba?” she replied. “Ano ba ang ibig sabihin sa inyo ng mataray? Sa audience, halimbawa sa school, may bagong bag, ‘Wow ang taray!’ Gano’n ang ibig sabihin sa kanila. Pero noong araw hindi gano’n. Mataray ka, para ‘yong mga bata ay mag-behave. ‘Magsi-upo kayo d’yan!’ Gano’n.”

“Binabakla ko lang kasi. Natatakot sila. Malakas kasi ang boses ko, ’di ba? Pero hindi, ang normal ko, ito lang ’yon,” she added.

The full interview is available on Maddox Jewelry’s YouTube and TikTok channels.

In the same conversation, Maricel also met Charo at the Maddox showroom for the first time, an encounter that turned emotional for the entrepreneur.

“Nang makita po kita sa baba, I’m so happy. Isa po ito sa katuparan ng mga pangarap ko. Kasi, noong bata nga po ako, napapanood ko lang kayo,” Cordial said.

“God is good,” Soriano replied with a smile, who added that it was her friend, actor Roderick Paulate, who encouraged her to visit. 

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