50 years after breaking up with his first love, he was back at her birthday party — this time on one knee
After 51 years, Artie was invited to Irene's 70s-themed party for her 67th birthday.
Young love leaves a mark that never truly fades, and the chance to reunite with your first love is a gift only a few are granted. After all, love knows no age. But when 67-year-old Irene Celebre was celebrating her birthday, little did she know that her first love was planning to propose to her after more than 50 years on June 20, 2025. Irene Celebre, a Filipino actress, was celebrating her 67th birthday with her friends and family when her first love, Artie Perez de Tagle, decided to rekindle their lost romance and proposed to her.
For the uninitiated, Artie is the son of the late, prolific singer Sylvia La Torre, known as the 'Queen of Kundiman', while Irene is an actress who later became the partner of the late actor Mark Gil. Together, Irene and Mark had six children, including actor Gabby Eigenmann. Irene and Arti were teenage sweethearts back in 1973, but they went their separate ways after Artie wished to follow his mother by pursuing a music career.
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Irene and Artie, who later on went on to have their own families and lives, reunited when Artie reconnected with his old lover on Facebook. Although their families knew that the two might get engaged, the proposal came as a surprise to all the families. Artie was invited to Irene's 67th birthday for a 70s-themed party, where he decided to pick up the mic to sing a song for the audience. That's when Kylie, daughter of Irene, noticed something in Artie's pocket and suspected it to be a ring box.
As captured on Kylie's Instagram video, Artie was soon seen taking out the ring box and going on one knee to confess his love to his teenage sweetheart. The heartwarming video showcases Artie dressed as a retro singer in a flashy, floral orange shirt and bellbottom jeans, with an afro wig, while Irene looks stunning in a 70s-inspired multi-coloured sequined dress with orange boots, earrings, and a head bow. The proposal came as a surprise to everybody, with their family and friends cheering for the couple, as Irene is seen blushing with her new fiancé, while shaking a leg on the dance floor later. Irene's daughter, Kylie Celebre, who captured the video, is seen shedding tears of joy watching her mother reunite with her first love. In the closed captions, it reads, "My mom at 67 with her first love. They were together in 1973, but went their separate ways a little over a year later. Little did she know that she was getting engaged to her first love today. You don't move on from your first love — you grow around it."
In a study authored by Nancy Kalish in 1997, 1001 people in the USA and other countries were surveyed, including many people who reconnected with former sweethearts. The author found that from those who had cohabited during the first romance, only about 54% stayed together after reconnecting, with reasons for original breakups including parental disapproval or pursuit of a career. Irene and Artie's reason for the breakup underlines the key findings made in this study.
After the proposal video was posted online, many users and fans of the couple were over the moon with the surprise. @honeybeejournals commented, "They look so fun and full of love and life. Many blessings." @rochelle.rochelle007 wrote, "My mom thought I'd end up marrying my first love, so that we'd realize it was us. We're 45, and he married someone else he used to be with. Lol Thanks, Mom. This is absolutely cute, though! Congratulations, cause they both look happy, and you just added more love to the family."
Wishing for a similar kind of love, @wandering_plates wrote, "May this kind of love find its way back to me." Although the couple has not discussed their marriage, their families and friends are excited for their life together moving forward.
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