Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan (born May 3, 1991), better known by her stage nameBela Padilla (Tagalog pronunciation:[paˈdɪlja]), is a Filipino actress, host, singer, writer, and director.
Krista Elyse Hidalgo Sullivan was born to British father Cornelius Gary Sullivan and Filipina mother Margarette Cariño Hidalgo ("Meg"). Her father was divorced from his first wife. She has three elder half-siblings in England from her father's first marriage, as well as an older brother from both of her parents. She first attended a Montessori-style international school in Forbes Park, Makati, before attending the foreigners' class at Colegio San Agustin – Makati.[3] Padilla took up journalism as an elective in senior high school.[4] Padilla was a classmate of Lovi Poe.[5]
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 2004 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.
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.[15]
Padilla made her directorial debut with the drama film 366, which premiered on April 13, 2022, on Vivamax. Padilla starred in the film alongside Zanjoe Marudo.[16]
In 2024, Padilla made her return to television as a guest host on the noontime variety show It's Showtime.[17][18] In November that same year, she launched her personal beauty brand Bela by Bela.[19] In October 2024, Padilla was confirmed to reprise her role in a sequel of 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, which would be titled 100 Awit Para Kay Stella. The film will premiere in September 2025.[20][21]
Personal life
On November 24, 2021, Padilla revealed that she had relocated to London.[22] 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. Additionally, she also held dual Filipino and British citizenship, and had several paternal relatives based in London.[23][24] She 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[25] but broke up with him after she decided to return to the Philippines.[26] In November 2023, she enrolled in an acting course in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[27]
In January 2025, Padilla announced that she had moved back to the Philippines and "temporarily closing" her "chapter" in London to resume working full-time as an actress, as well as resume scriptwriting.[28] 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.[29]
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