Bela Padilla shared her experience of moving to the United Kingdom, recalling the challenges of adapting to a new environment far from home. The actress lived in the UK for some years starting in 2021 before returning to the Philippines full-time in 2025.
In an interview with Luis Manzano on his YouTube vlog, Bela revealed that relocating overseas required her to relearn even the most basic daily routines.
"[It was] very different in a sense na... pati paglalakad I had to relearn kasi di ba we are walking on a different side of the road. Even just crossing the street, kailangan mo mag-isip pagtawid, ay dito pala ako dapat tumingin, dito nanggagaling ang kotse na dito [sa Pilipinas], you don't have to think about it. Kahit tunog lang ng kotse alam mo, ay may parating, hindi ako tatawid... Even basic stuff like that, so I felt like a child, like I needed to relearn everything," she shared.
Bela also shared that while many warned her about experiencing seasonal depression or "winter blues," she did not feel its effects.
"Everybody warned me, 'You're gonna get depressed especially on your first winter. It's a thing, seasonal depression, winter blues,' so I prepared myself for it.... Winter came and went, wala, walang nangyari," she said.
The actress quipped: "Sabi ko it's because I'm Filipino. I'm resilient. Sabi ng lahat ng gobyerno namin, I'm resilient."
However, the emotional toll surfaced later on. "I think the sadness kicked in nung year 2 or year 3 kasi na-realize ko na it's so quiet, it was so quiet," Bela shared.
She recalled: "It started getting really quiet for me and I'm someone who enjoys silence. I'm someone who is very comfortable being alone but it was too quiet. I would go to the grocery sometimes just so I could remember the sound of my voice."
The Rekonek star also reflected on the similarities and differences between Filipinos and British people. "There were a lot of things that were actually I would say parang similar sa kanila. [Filipinos] are family-oriented, they are too. They like traditions, 'yun they are very tradition oriented."
As for the differences, Bela shared: "I guess kasi because they are used to their country being efficient, mas maiksi 'yung patience nila for certain things. Tayo mapag-pasensya kasi sanay tayo na eh ganito eh, kailangan nating intindihin na ganito lang talaga, which we shouldn't kasi we pay for taxes anyway. But 'yun nga, they are used to things working so they complain, we don't. I think that's the difference."
She concluded by noting a difference in communication style. "The British are very straightforward. Tayo we tiptoe, masasabi mo na lahat kaysa dun sa gusto mo talagang sabihin huwag lang masaktan 'yung kausap mo. Ito naman sasabihin na sa'yo agad para tapos na... para maayos na natin, di ba? Para ma-resolve agad," she explained.
Back in December 2021, Bela shared that the reason she moved to London was not solely to be near her boyfriend at that time, Norman Bay, who is from Switzerland. The actress explained that there were a number of reasons she left the Philippines to live in the UK.
"There are many reasons why I moved here. One of them is because I feel like the world stopped during [the] pandemic and I have been looking for something new to do in my life. I feel like at this point, I will be more productive here. It just makes more sense for me to live here," she explained at that time on her YouTube vlog.
Bela also has family in the UK. She is the daughter of Meg Cariño of the Padilla showbiz clan and Cornelio Sullivan, who is British.
It was in January this year when Bela shared that she would be coming back to the Philippines. "I am temporarily closing this chapter [in the UK] as I prepare to work full-time again," she announced.