Bela Padilla

Acting career Padilla was discovered by ABS-CBN talent scout Jet Valle during one of his field trips. Valle introduced her to ABS-CBN, where she joined Star Magic Batch 15 and adopted the stage name "Krista Valle." Her debut television role came in 2007 in the teen drama series Star Magic Presents: Abt Ur Luv Ur Lyf 2. She later changed her stage name to "Krista Sullivan" when she transitioned to a freelance acting career. In 2009, she appeared in a minor role in the TV series Totoy Bato, and shortly after, she became a regular cast member of Lokomoko High on TV5.

In 2010, Padilla left Star Magic, signed with manager Claire dela Fuente, and moved to GMA. With this move, she also adopted the name "Bela Padilla." She starred in the 2011 fantasy series Machete alongside Aljur Abrenica. That same year, she won the Miss Friendship and Media's Darling awards at the 2011 Asian Super Model Contest, held in Guilin and Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.

Padilla took the lead role in the 2019 crime drama series Sino ang Maysala?: Mea Culpa. She also starred in the Philippine adaptation of the Korean film Miracle in Cell No. 7, which was an official entry to the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film went on to earn ₱543 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing Filipino films of all time.

Padilla made her directorial debut with the drama film 366, which premiered on April 13, 2022, on Vivamax. Padilla also starred in the film opposite Zanjoe Marudo.

In 2024, Padilla returned to television as a guest host on the noontime variety show It's Showtime.

Business In 2020, Padilla is a co-owner of the Seoul-based skincare company, Britory, with business partners DongWoo Kang and WonYoung Ryu.

She launched her beauty business, BELA by Bela, which sells beauty products including lip tints, cheeks tints and lip balms in 2024.

Personal life Padilla holds dual Filipino and British citizenship, and has several paternal relatives based in London. On November 2021, she revealed that she had relocated to London. She attributed her move to be more productive during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to find a sense of security following the nonrenewal of ABS-CBN's franchise.

Padilla was in a relationship with Swiss national Norman Bay. She first introduced him to the public in October 2020 through an Instagram post, in which she captioned, "the one I met in St. Gallen," in reference to her previous movie Meet Me in St. Gallen. In November 2023, she enrolled in an acting course in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

In January 2025, Padilla announced that she had moved back to the Philippines to resume working full-time as an actress, as well as resume scriptwriting. She later shared in August that she and Bay had mutually broken up, largely due to their long-distance relationship and her return to the Philippines; the two remained friends and Bay visited Padilla during the filming of 100 Awit Para Kay Stella.

In November 2024, Padilla revealed that she has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism, having been diagnosed when she was 19 years old.

Filmography Film +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television +Key Denotes shows that have not yet been aired

Music video appearances Year Title Performer Director 2021MagpahingaBen&BenJorel Lising

Accolades