Bela Padilla

 ( 1991 Births ) 

Padilla's maternal grandmother (mother of Meg) is the sister of Eva Cariño-Padilla, wife of actor-director and former Camarines Norte governor Roy Padilla Sr. She is the niece, by second-degree consanguinity, of actors Rommel Padilla, Robin Padilla, and BB Gandanghari, and second cousin to RJ Padilla and Daniel Padilla (sons of Rommel), as well as Queenie Padilla and Kylie Padilla (daughters of Robin). She is a practicing Jehovah's Witness. Padilla's father, Cornelius, died in August 2023.

In 2010, Padilla left Star Magic, signed with manager Claire dela Fuente, and moved to GMA Network. With this move, she also adopted the name "Bela Padilla." She starred in the 2011 fantasy series Machete alongside Aljur Abrenica. That same year, she won the Miss Friendship and Media's Darling awards at the 2011 Asian Super Model Contest, held in Guilin and Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.

Padilla made headlines in 2012 when her FHM Philippines magazine cover for the March issue was pulled due to accusations of racism. Later that year, she starred in the titular role in the afternoon drama series . In 2013, she starred opposite Richard Gutierrez in the primetime series Love & Lies.

After a return to ABS-CBN in 2015, Padilla joined the action-packed series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano alongside Coco Martin. Two years later, in 2017, she headlined the drama series My Dear Heart and starred in the romantic film 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, which became the highest-grossing film at the first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. She made her debut as a screenwriter in the film Last Night, which premiered on September 27, 2017, through Star Cinema.

Padilla took the lead role in the 2019 crime drama series . She also starred in the Philippine adaptation of the Korean film Miracle in Cell No. 7, which was an official entry to the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film went on to earn ₱543 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing Filipino films of all time.

Padilla made her directorial debut with the drama film 366, which premiered on April 13, 2022, on Vivamax. Padilla starred in the film alongside Zanjoe Marudo.

In 2024, Padilla made her return to television as a guest host on the noontime variety show It's Showtime. In November that same year, she launched her personal beauty brand Bela by Bela. In October 2024, Padilla was confirmed to reprise her role in a sequel of 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, which would be titled 100 Awit Para Kay Stella. The film will premiere in September 2025.

In January 2025, Padilla announced that she had moved back to the Philippines and "temporarily closing" her "chapter" in London to resume working full-time as an actress, as well as resume scriptwriting. She later shared in August that she and Bay had mutually broken up, largely due to their long-distance relationship and her return to the Philippines; the two remained friends and Bay visited Padilla during the filming of 100 Awit Para Kay Stella.

In November 2024, Padilla revealed that she has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism, having been diagnosed when she was nineteen years old.