The sweetness of the spotlight seems to have found its ideal place in 18-year-old Ashley Sarmiento.
At just four years old, she charmed audiences through commercial modelling projects—but it was at five that she began a journey we’d all remember. The endearing young talent was among the child stars discovered and nurtured through the beloved Kapamilya kiddie gag show “Goin’ Bulilit.”
Then, turning her potential into promise, Ashley officially signed with ABS-CBN’s talent agency, Star Magic, at six years old.
Ashley brings nostalgia as a truly memorable child star
Over the course of her career as a Kapamilya, little Ashley first portrayed the younger version of “Pambansang Diyosa” Anne Curtis in the 2014 adaptation of the romance-fantasy series “Dyesebel.”
Shining with undeniable talent, she earned her big break in the family drama “FlordeLiza,” starring alongside fellow child actress Rhed Bustamante and the iconic “MarJo” love team of Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal.
Back then, she hadn’t yet realized what a privilege it was to work with two of the industry’s most beloved generational artists.
Ever-driven and already enthusiastic about action scenes at eleven, Ashley appeared as the young version of Angel Locsin’s character, Rhian “Uno” Bonifacio, in the action drama “The General’s Daughter.”
With skilled and remarkable actresses like Bea Alonzo, Belle Mariano, and Kathryn Bernardo as her role models, there’s no doubt she will soon catch up to them.
The pandemic was indeed a challenging time for everyone, even for a prominent child star like Ashley. After the global health crisis that temporarily slowed the world, she landed her first project with GMA.
The sweetheart’s exciting life outside showbiz
Ashley’s close friends consist of fellow child stars Lance Lucido, Mutya Orquia, and Marco Masa, who have also worked and jumpstarted their careers under ABS-CBN.
She usually hangs out with the same showbiz friends for badminton and boxing and has now brought in yoga to her active hobbies.
Another highly talented actress in the making, Ashley is naturally in tune with singing, songwriting, and playing the guitar—skills she learned from her sister. She is now expanding her musical repertoire, adding the harmonica and piano to the list of instruments she plans to master.
Adding to her artistic side, she has developed an interest in photography, even creating a separate Instagram account to showcase her eye-catching shots. When she’s not behind the camera, she turns her focus to reading self-help books.
Above all, she remains the “sweetheart” of her family
The young star lives at her grandfather and grandmother’s house with her extended family of four.
She shares a heart-melting bond with her grandparents—her grandmother generously sewed her costumes, and her grandfather watched over her acting journey, particularly during her “FlordeLiza” years.
Sisterly love has always been a constant in her life, as she shares a close bond with her three supportive older sisters, who are also her best friends, aged 32, 30, and 28.
She strives as well as an academic achiever
Motivated as ever, she attended regular school while pursuing her acting career. She even received a “Brand Ambassador Scholarship” from her school, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD), and graduated from senior high school there.
Be sure to watch the “Longing Sweetheart ng Las Piñas,” on “PBB Collab 2.0,” via livestreams on the PBB YouTube Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and iWant.