The Broadway icon says a new romance is not something she is actively building her life around, months after revealing her separation
LEA SALONGA – The Broadway and theater icon made it clear that finding a new partner is not on her to-do list, saying in a television interview published on Sunday, November 1, 2026, that she would rather pour her energy into a life that already makes her happy.
The Tony Award-winning singer and actress was asked whether she is open to falling in love again following the end of her long marriage to businessman Robert Chien. Lea first revealed in January 2026 that she and Chien had separated.
“It’s not something that I am actively building a life towards,” Lea answered.
Instead of chasing romance, the singer said she has been living by a piece of advice she came across online, one she believes every young person should hear.
“Build your life as if you are not getting married, where you prioritize yourself, where you love yourself, where you fall in love with yourself, and create a beautiful life,” she shared.
Lea then used a garden as an image for how she sees love. “It’s like, when you build a garden and make it beautiful, that’s when the butterflies come. Don’t chase the butterflies. Attract them to your garden,” she said.
“So, create your life and if you meet somebody who makes your life even better, then that is when you can consider. But it is not something I am actively looking for,” the performer added.
Asked if her friends might try to play matchmaker, Lea laughed off the idea. “They won’t. I know my friends way too well. For them, it’s kung saan ka masaya, dun ka dapat,” she said, meaning her circle simply wants her to be wherever she is happiest.
She also stressed that she does not feel anything is missing. “I have a life that is incredibly fulfilling, professionally. As far as my personal life goes, my attention is to my son, and to my friends, and my home, and you know there’s a lot of work on my plate,” Lea said.
Lea rose to international fame as Kim in Miss Saigon, a role that earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1991, and she remains one of the most celebrated Filipino performers on the world stage.
Her message is simple: happiness does not have to wait for a partner. For now, the singer says her heart is full with her work, her son, her friends and her home, and if love comes along, it will have to make that life even better.