It has been eight months since actress Dina Bonnevie lost her husband, former Ilocos Sur governor and congressman DV Savellano. In a heartfelt sit-down on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, she opened up about her grief, the depth of her pain, and how faith slowly reshaped her journey into one of healing and newfound purpose.

From Darkness to Clarity

When asked how she was, Dina admitted she is only now beginning to feel lighter. “I’m okay. I’m coping. I can say I’m much, much better now than January… I was terrible then,” she confessed.

The sudden loss plunged her into a period of despair. She recounted nights of crying endlessly, questioning God’s plan. “Are you here? Is there a God? Why do you want me to be like this? Why do you want me to be alone?” she recalled asking in her darkest moments.

But clarity came in whispers of faith. “A voice was telling me: why do you keep focusing on what you no longer have? Why don’t you focus on what you still have to start all over again, to prosper yourself, to glorify My name?”

Love and Letting Go

Dina shared how unexpected DV’s passing was. In their last trip to Japan, they had playfully promised each other they would go together—never imagining she would be left behind so soon.

“When he died, I wanted to follow. I kept wishing God would take me, too. My kids are married, they have their own families. What am I going to live for? I just wanted to die,” she admitted.

Yet in grief came realizations. “Life is short. We work so hard to acquire things, but in the end, no one takes them with them. People are remembered not for what they own, but for what they’ve done. DV was remembered not just as a politician, but as a true public servant.”

Dina 3.0: A New Chapter

Despite the lingering pain, Dina chooses to channel her loss into growth. “I think this is Dina 3.0,” she reflected. “I’m now living with intention, with purpose. Death teaches us that life is borrowed. And while the pain never goes away, you can use it to inspire you to be better.”

She vividly remembered the trauma of her husband’s final moments—four flatlines before the fifth took his life. “Maybe God wanted to give him rest. He was supporting so many people. Maybe God was saying, it’s done.”

A Loving Farewell

With emotion, Dina left a message for DV:

“I really, really miss him so much. Even if he’s no longer here, I still wear his ring. If I were God, I’d give you a double A for your work in government. You were a great dad, a loving husband, and if there’s someone who truly made me feel loved, it was you.”

Finding Strength in Work and Family

Today, work and family help Dina heal. She is back to hosting her YouTube program House of D alongside her children Danica Sotto-Pingris and Oyo Boy Sotto with their spouses. She also returns to acting through My Father’s Wifeopposite Gabby Concepcion.

For Dina, these projects are not just work—they are lifelines. “I know that God has plans for me, plans to prosper me and give me hope. I just hope I won’t be so alone,” she shared, clarifying that she is not seeking romance but focusing on God’s work and spending more time with her children after years of distance.

A Life of Intention

Dina Bonnevie continues to live with grief, but also with resilience. Her journey is proof that love, faith, and purpose can carry one through the heaviest of storms. In her words, “Death is how you see it. The pain never goes away, but you can use it to live better, to live with intention.”