Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino (born February 14, 1971), commonly known as Kris Aquino, is a Filipino television and movie personality who gained prominence from her talk shows, game shows, and numerous endorsements. Known as the Queen of All Media and Philippines' Queen of Talk, she is the youngest daughter of former Philippine senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. and Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, who served as the 11th President of the Philippines, and sister of Benigno Aquino, III, the current President of the Philippines.
Her first movie was Pido Dida, Sabay Tayo, which earned her a a Box-office Queen title. Her 2004 films such as Feng Shui and So... Happy Together also gave her the Box-office Queen title again.In 2006, she regained the same Box Office title for her movie Sukob, which is the highest grossing Filipino film of all time.She is also the Executive Editor of her own bi-monthly magazine called K! The Kris Aquino Magazine. In December 2009, Aquino showcased her own Home Collection called K Everyday. In partnership with ABS-CBN Licensing, K Everyday features cooking collection, kitchen collection, plastic collection, and stationery collection.
She is currently part of ABS-CBN
She is currently residing at Makati City.
In 1986, Aquino, at 14, made her first TV appearance on Inday Badiday's See-Tru on GMA-7. She was the star of the short-lived comedy show ABS-CBN Luv Ko Si Kris.
With her movie career slowing, Aquino shifted her sights on a television career as a talk show host launched through Kris produced by Viva Television on Channel 4 (at that time named PTV, this was transferred to GMA Network which has partnership with Viva and after Viva's contract with PTV ended). It was in GMA Network showbiz oriented talk show Startalk where she co-hosted with Boy Abunda and Lolit Solis that her hosting capabilities were noticed.
After her GMA and Viva no longer wanted her services, she went back to media conglomerate and GMA Network's rival ABS-CBN which noticed her undeniable hosting wit, offered her a contract and launched Today with Kris Aquino. In January 2003 to May 2004, she hosted the talk show Morning Girls with Kris and Korina, alongside popular broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez. It was intended for only two weeks but went on for 16 months. In 2007, she officially left The Buzz and Pilipinas, Game KNB? after giving birth to her second son, James. She was replaced by Edu Manzano in Pilipinas, Game KNB?. According to her, she had to give up her hosting stint on the said shows to give more time to her baby. It was also assumed that she does not want to go back to The Buzz because she no longer wants to work with former co-host Cristy Fermin.
In the October 2008 issue of YES! Magazine, Aquino was considered top or the leading celebrity endorser, ranking number one among the twenty popular celebrity endorsers.
Aquino is the executive editor of the K Magazine of ABS -CBN publishing. "Carrying Kris celebrity equity, "K" is about getting her style, her personality, her lifestyle and her appeal. The magazine reflects the key concerns of the target market presented by Kris herself: beauty, fashion, body, relationships, career, money and self.
Aquino hosted the Philippine franchise of Deal or No Deal, which is part of ABS-CBN's primetime lineup. It ended its first season on February 23, 2007. The second season of the said game show started on June 11, 2007. On May 5, 2008, she appeared on the US version as part of a "Deal or No Deal around the world" event, where host Howie Mandel and an American contestant were taken to an international location, and played the game in that country, with the local models and host assisting Mandel. She also hosts Boy & Kris, a morning talk show that replaced Homeboy, together with Boy Abunda,and Be Bench/, a model search show together with Piolo Pascual.Nestor Torre, a known critic of the Philippine Entertainment industry, pointed out that Aquino took a lot of risks when she chose to give up her two former shows. The critic pointed out that giving up The Buzz and Pilipinas, Game KNB? deprived her of the major exposure that those two popular shows afforded her. Torre also noted that it is much more difficult to successfully launch new shows than to resume hosting programs that are already popular.
She hosted another TV franchise Wheel of Fortune, which incidentally replaced Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal. She said in an interview[citation needed] that she was a huge fan of the U.S. version and was thrilled to bring the show back to her country. (Wheel of Fortune had already had one 2001-02 run in the Philippines, which was hosted by Rustom Padilla and Victoria Wonderheim.) She hosted Showbiz News Ngayon on its newest season. In October 2008 after former The Buzz co-host Cristy Fermin was suspended by ABS-CBN, the Kapamilya network asked Aquino to once again host the top-rated showbiz oriented talk show together with Boy Abunda and Ruffa Gutierrez. After much controversy, Aquino hosted The Buzz again starting on October 26, 2008.
Aquino officially left Showbiz News Ngayon on June 25, 2010 and The Buzz on June 27, 2010 after being an on and off main host of the show for ten years. The reason for her leaving the show is that she will be spending time with her family and for her not to cause any issues while her brother Benigno Aquino III is in office as President of the Philippines.Despite her leave for her family, she hosted ABS-CBN's new noontime variety show called Pilipinas Win Na Win but left after two months upon the decision of the management.
Aquino had a live-in relationship with married actor Phillip Salvador with whom she has a son named Joshua.
She was married to Philippine Basketball Association professional player James Yap of the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants. They had a civil marriage on July 10, 2005. The following year, she announced on The Buzz that she was pregnant. In April, 2007, Aquino gave birth to her first son by Yap in Makati City. Her son with Yap was named James "Bimby" Aquino Yap. In 2006, a former medical clinic receptionist stated that James Yap had an extra-marital affair with her.
Aquino suffered a miscarriage with collapsed gestational sac and blighted ovum on March 25, 2008, a day after she announced that her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer.
On June 27, 2010, Kris Aquino announced that she had separated from Yap, citing personal reasons and stated she is seeking an annulment of their marriage.Aquino and Yap vowed to become good friends after their annulment.
