Dina Bonnevie on losing husband: ‘I come home and I’m all alone’

Dina Bonnevie. Josh Mercado

MANILA -- While others rejoiced at the start of 2025, actress Dina Bonnevie mourned the death of her husband Deogracias Victor Savellano, who passed away on January 7.

In one of her Instagram posts, Bonnevie described her husband's death as the "most traumatic" experience of her life.

After six months, Bonnevie faced the entertainment press with a positive spirit, but cried in the middle of the interview, showing vulnerability and courage.

On losing her husband, Bonnevie told ABS-CBN News, “With the passing of my husband, I learned that talagang walang forever. Wala na akong balak mag-asawa nun. I had no plans. Sabi ng mga anak ko, ‘Mommy, can you find someone? We don't want you to grow old alone.’

Then she met Savellano, the man her children desired for her. “I was dreaming na, of course, we're gonna grow all together. And I remember, we were talking, kami ng asawa ko, sabi ko, ‘Gusto ko mauna ako (to die first). Ayokong maiwan mo ‘ko.’”

“Sabi niya, ‘Hindi. Gusto ko mauna ako. Ayokong maiwan mo ‘ko.’ Then sabi niya, ‘Sige. Sabay tayo.’

She cried again, adding, “Doon ko naisip na sabi pa ng mga bata na, ‘Mommy, mayroon ka ng forever. At least wala ka ng fear to grow old alone. You have someone to grow old with.’ But you see… ‘yun din ‘yung natutunan ko. When my husband died, I learned that…. Who's going to take care of me? Nag-iisa lang ako sa bahay. Nalulungkot din ako like when I come home and I'm all alone.”

Bonnevie would occasionally imagine her late husband watching her cook, caring for the turtles, whistling, and walking around the village. “Natatandaan ko ‘yung mga puno na gustong-gusto niya. Pupunta ako sa garahe, maririnig ko ‘yung [sound] ng kotse.”

The actress additionally admitted that her husband's death placed so much weight on her heart and spirit, saying, “Parang for a time, iyak ako nang iyak. As in, I kept asking God, parang, ‘Bakit?’ Marami pa naman sanang magagawa ‘yung asawa ko. So, parang for a while, nagtampo ako kay God na, ‘Ba’t mo siya kinuha? Bakit siya? Bakit itong asawa ko?’ But, well, you can never question naman God's wisdom. God's wisdom is supreme.”

“Tinanggap ko. Nag-grieve ako. I gave myself time to grieve. And then I said, it's about time I pick up the pieces and do something,” she added.

'House of D'

As part of her process of picking up the pieces, Bonnevie returned to showbiz with the new digital talkshow "House of D" with Oyo Sotto, Kristine Hermosa, Danica Sotto, and Marc Pingris.

The show, which premieres on House of D’s YouTube channel on July 11, will feature them at home as a family, discussing marriage, faith, love, money, investment, and anything else that will highlight their "authenticity."

“Walang plastikan. Sabi namin, sa ‘House of D,’ you are family. Walang judgmental. Kumbaga, walang panghuhusga. Walang pagpapanggap. Parang, we accept who you are. Kasi ganyan kami as a family. Sometimes, we don't agree, but that's the family, eh. Pero minsan naman, nag-a-agree kami,” the matriarch spoke about the show. 

She added, “Doing a talk show is close to my heart because when I was doing a talk show, I would answer all the questions of the viewers myself.”

Bonnevie, who serves as the producer, stated that when she presented the idea to the family, everyone agreed to host and invest.

“Ang bilis pumayag ng mga bata. And then, the kids were willing to invest. Sabi nila, ‘Ayaw namin na ikaw lang maglalabas lahat ng pera, Mommy. We want to be producers para marunong din kami.’ And I'm happy because ‘yung purpose ko naman for the show is to help my children become entrepreneurs, become more responsible as far as business matters are concerned, become more aware about the people around them and how they're serving other people,” she said.

Dina Bonnevie. Josh Mercado

The actress also proudly shared that their company, The Good Life Media Group Inc., will soon expand into developing movies and other content.

“We’d like to produce content for Netflix or for others. And we would like our shows to be shows that would enlighten people's minds,” she pointed out. 

“I believe in infotainment. Parang you give information at the same time you entertain. Hindi ‘yung puro entertainment lang. Mas maganda ‘yung may matututunan. Na-entertain pa sila. So that's our goal,” she emphasized.

Dina Bonnevie. Josh Mercado

Bonnevie then burst into tears again, thanking her children for not leaving her and cheering her up because her "forever" (her husband) would no longer be present in her new journey.

“Sa saya, sa hirap, sa lungkot, sa pag-ibig, andiyan ang pamilya. There were times na naging malungkot din ‘yung mga anak ko because of my wrong decisions. There were times na nadamay ‘yung mga anak ko dahil sa mga mali kong desisyon sa buhay. But through thick and thin, through hell or high water, they never left me. They were always there to stand by me, never judged me, never disrespected me,” she said. 

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