MANILA — Matteo Guidicelli’s statement about fighting for his relationship with his now-wife Sarah Geronimo in the first year together, rang true on Friday, amid reports of a secret wedding marred by an altercation and what’s being termed as “Divine intervention.”

On the night of February 20, Geronimo and Guidicelli exchanged wedding vows in a clandestine ceremony, supposedly kept even from the bride’s parents who have long been cold toward the relationship.

Following a leak that resulted in a preemptive report from columnist Ricky Lo, it appears Geronimo’s mother, Divine, caught wind of the event and showed up uninvited.

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Accused of informing Divine about the couple’s whereabouts was a bodyguard employed by the Geronimo family, who reported to police that he figured in an altercation with Gudicelli after the wedding. At that point, according to the blotter, Divine had just arrived and insisted on speaking with her daughter.

Divine’s disapproval of the relationship traces its beginnings back to 2013, going by separate statements of Guidicelli and Geronimo.

Notably, in an August 2014 interview, Guidicelli admitted he had yet to get the nod from both Geronimo’s parents — nearly a year into their relationship.

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“Sarah’s parents, they’re like all parents, they’re just very protective… I understand them. But I also understand Sarah. She’s 26. She’s growing to become a beautiful lady, she’s becoming stronger. She’s standing up for herself. She’s becoming an independent woman,” he said.

“Ipinaglaban niya ako, that’s why I’m very proud of her,” Guidicelli added.

Likewise, Guidicelli vowed that he would fight for his relationship with Geronimo, saying, “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“This woman, she’s worth everything. It’s not because of who she is — Sarah Geronimo. It’s the person who she really is outside the cameras, when we’re together, without the makeup and everything. She’s very true. I don’t think I can find anybody like this person. I believe I don’t want to lose this one,” he said.

Guidicelli, at the time, appeared optimistic that his rift with Geronimo’s parents would eventually heal.

Six years later, however, that seems elusive still, with Divine’s intervention signaling a rocky start to the young couple’s married life.