Actor Tom Rodriguez gave an update on his life after a two-year showbiz hiatus following his controversial separation from his then wife, actress Carla Abellana.

In an exclusive interview with Nelson Canlas on 24 Oras on Thursday, February 29, the actor shared what he has learned as he spent time focusing on self-love and growth in the past couple of years. 

“Mas simple lahat ng bagay. Relish the simple things, kung ano ang para sa’yo, mapupunta sa’yo na hindi mo kailangan. ‘Kailangan ganito, kailangan ’yan,’ trying to control life. Learn to just resign yourself, resign yourself to the Lord and He always provides and every step of the way na parang magkaka-anxiety ka. Kasi tinatakot mo ‘yung sarili mo,” he said.

He went on: “You're living out of fear, out of anxiety. Instead of living out of love, joy, hope. Kapag dun ka pala, everything just falls into place.”

The actor also revealed in the interview that he thinks he is now fully healed and ready to work again in the limelight.

Sharing a little detail about his private life, Tom also revealed that he is ready to take chances and is currently seeing someone.

“Yeah. I am now. In fact, I am seeing someone,” he announced.

The actor also shared that the person he is seeing came at the right time when he was almost fully healed.

“At that point I was already there,” he continued, “Once I was ready, it came at the right time. At that point, I thought it would never happen again.”

Tom also stated that he is thinking of keeping everything about his love life to himself for now. 

“I don’t know eh. Magdadamot ako ata. Like I said, I really want to keep it to myself. But like what I said, I live my life like how it is,” he said.

He added, “Siguro everyone, what they see is what they get. For now, it’s my own.”

Gearing up for his comeback in the industry, Tom was also asked what he would feel if he and his ex-wife Carla might cross paths once again.

“For me, I don’t think it doesn’t matter to me much. We have our own paths and our own lives now, and I wish her well,” he expressed.

READ: Is Carla Abellana open to reconciling with Tom Rodriguez?

Tom and Carla had been together for seven years before deciding to tie the knot in a church wedding in October 2021.

However, the couple sparked breakup rumors in February 2022 after fans and netizens noticed that they briefly unfollowed each other on Instagram. The actress then removed photos of Tom from her Instagram account.

Carla would later confirm their separation in a lengthy statement on social media, saying she was “disrespected,” “lied to,” and “betrayed” during her marriage to the actor.

Meanwhile, Tom also came out with a statement confirming his divorce from Carla, stressing that “despite all my efforts, Carla had already given up on our marriage.”

The actor then flew to the United States while Carla moved into her new home over a year after their separation.

On her part, Carla also stated that she would be fine if they might see each other again at work.

“I think naman okay lang. Ready naman ako. Hindi naman ako yung type na ‘ay ayaw ko’ or avoidant or what. You know, it’s inevitable ika nga,” she said.

“Pareho kaming artista at nasa industriya. He has his own thing, I have my own thing,” she remarked.

READ: Carla Abellana prepares to move to new home: ‘Moving forward’