Unlike her sisters Karylle and Zia Quizon, and other celebrity siblings, Nicole Quizon did not venture into showbiz. She chose a path far from the limelight.
She settled for a more private life. Away from the spotlight that her famous parents— Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla and the late Comedy King Dolphy—have long since known like the back of their hand.
However, Nicole’s decision did not entirely shield her from the prying eyes of the public.
Her association with her celebrity parents—who are showbiz icons—does not warrant her a completely private life.
And this is something that Nicole had to deal with, and continues to do so.
This is also true with many celebrity couples whose kids become pawns to public attention or scrutiny, whether they like it or not.
Read: Eric Quizon reveals how adopted sister waived her 50% inheritance
NICOLE, DAUGHTER OF DOLPHY AND ZSA ZSA
Nicole is the older daughter of Zsa Zsa and Dolphy, whose younger daughter is singer Zia Quizon.
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Zsa Zsa’s eldest daughter is Karylle, who is the seasoned singer’s daughter from a previous marriage.
Nicole, fondly called Coco by her family, was born on July 3, 1990. This makes her 35 years in age.
It is a known fact that Nicole is Dolphy’s adopted daughter.
The late icon made it legal in 1990, which Dolphy also detailed in his book, Hindi Ko Ito Narating Mag-isa.
This makes Nicole a legitimate child, and the only one, as a matter of fact.
Dolphy had 17 other children from previous relationships. All of these kids are born out of marriage.
The young Nicole Quizon with parents, the late Dolphy and Zsa Zsa Padilla.
Photo/s: @zsazsapadilla on Instagram
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NICOLE ON BEING ADOPTED
Nicole’s adoption is something that was not kept from her.
In a 2012 interview on Pipol, a now-defunct program on ABS-CBN, Nicole revealed that her parents have explained her situation early on.
“They explained it to me naman in a way na parang, ‘You were a gift the same way everyone wants, it was just the different method of delivery.’ So, I guess it was enlightening in that way na,” she said in that interview.
She suggested that she would get into trouble with other kids in school about this, “But I wasn’t treated any different from anybody else,” she added.
Her siblings, Nicole explained, had been protective of her, especially because none of them came from a traditional family, “…everyone was born out of wedlock and one was adopted,” Nicole interjected.
Since she is not really a public figure, Nicole rarely gives interviews.
While her public presence may be mainly because of her association with a showbiz family, thus her name being mentioned here and there in interviews, she appeared with sister Karylle’s food vlog, Digestive Sisters.
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She was also a columnist for a broadsheet for three years, as said in a GMA article.
In April 2021, she gave a no-holds-barred interview on the YouTube channel Thirsty and Thirty.
Nicole was legally adopted by Dolphy in 1990, making her the Comedy King’s only legitimate child in a brood of 18 children of the iconic comedian.
Photo/s: @zsazsapadilla on Instagram
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EDUCATION AND LIFE IN AUSTRALIA
Nicole spent her college education at the University of Melbourne, Australia, where she finished anthropology and linguistics, according to an ABS-CBN article in July 2012.
Her life away from home provided her with an avenue to pursue education and life experiences devoid of the prying eyes of the public.
She also chose undertakings that are a far cry from the glitz and glamour that her dad, mom, siblings, and a number of relatives got used to.
While in college, she became a waitress as a side hustle.
Her first full-time job was as an employee in a shoe store in Australia.
“I was selling shoes at the shoe store for about, maybe a year or two years. So, the first year was just like an after-school job, and after that I stayed and did it full time,” she said in Thirsty and Thirty.
However, it was clear that more than means to support herself, it was for Nicole to gain life experiences, like honing interpersonal skills.
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She elaborated, “Just being comfortable being around others, like there’s a lot of just calling people ‘Hon’ or ‘Babe’ and not being shy about it.
“I guess also just the skill of like, putting other people’s shoes on for them, like, I feel it’s a very humbling experience… like, other hard skills or soft skills like organization, time keeping, and being responsible for one’s business.”
Eventually, Nicole entered the public relations industry. First, in an agency in Australia. But that did not go well, so she went home.
Nicole recalled that her then partner convinced her that they help a PR agency mount an event for a celebrity client.
That event became successful, so the agency ended up offering Nicole to be part of the team.
Nicole talked about the nature of the PR industry, that while it may look glamorous on the outside, people don’t see the not-so-glamorous stuff PR personnel need to do prior to organizing an event.
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As Nicole put it, “…there are a lot of ugly stuff that you have to do—clean the floor, fight with the supplier to get a prize…”
She also related mistakes, hardships, ugly-cry moments, and stress-inducing instances that come with her job.
Nicole earned her college degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia.
Photo/s: @cocoquizon and @zsazsapadilla on Instagra
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NICOLE’S HEALTH SCARE
It is also that stress that became one of the culprits in Nicole’s health plight during the pandemic.
Zsa Zsa recounted the “most trying moment” they had when Nicole got sick in 2020, a few months before lockdown.
The Divine Diva related this experience on the Kapamilya online show, Love Thy Chika hosted by Ruffa Gutierrez on July 5, 2020.
The seasoned singer recalled that she got a message from Nicole saying she was sick, complaining about her fast, irregular heartbeat.
Zsa Zsa then picked up Nicole and rushed her to the hospital.
When Zsa Zsa was told by the doctor that her daughter needed to be brought to the intensive care unit, she went to the bathroom and had a breakdown.
“I prayed so hard in the bathroom,” she recalled.
Her prayer was answered.
Zsa Zsa went on to say, “Paglabas ko, they said, ‘Oh, she’s already responding to the medication. So she doesn’t have to be in the ICU. Sa ano na lang siya, regular room.’”
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Nicole was diagnosed with thyroid storm, an ailment that can be fatal.
Zsa Zsa talked about the need to be strong for her children.
In her interview, Nicole expounded on her condition. She confessed that she was partly responsible for it.
“I think what was the really scary part of the whole thing is that knowing that somehow it’s your fault. Knowing that some part of my health deteriorating was my fault. Like genetics, plus myself, and bad habits caused big health crisis,” she explained.
She added that she did not have good sleeping habits at that time, and it was partly because of her stressful job.
This experience led Nicole to learn to properly manage stress, such as veering away from toxic situations that could aggravate her health condition.
BIG FAMILY
With a brood of 17 siblings in the family, Nicole subtly suggested that it could be too much at times, especially since a lot of these siblings have strong personalities.
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One of them had passed, a number of them are based in the U.S., while the rest are in the Philippines.
Nicole exclaimed about her siblings, “[W]e’re such different ages that we don’t kind of coincide, but I also make sure that I remove myself from any situation that I know will stress me out.
“A lot of my siblings are older. They’re set in their ways, so they just kinda live it out, just not hurt anyone else…”
She stressed, “It’s a choose-your-battles kind of situation, especially when you have so many different strong personalities.”
She emphasized that if it gets toxic around them about anything, she tends to remove herself from that situation.
ON POPULAR PARENTS
Being taken in by a family with a famous couple as parents, Nicole candidly admitted that this had a huge impact on some areas of her life, such as in her professional life.
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“Before, it didn’t bother me ‘cause I saw it as such a, like, I’m-so-lucky moment. Like, I would always joke around that I’m the first white person adopted by an Asian family… some sort of affirmative action moment like a reverse Angelina Jolie.”
Nicole’s last statement is in reference to the Hollywood actress who adopted three children, in addition to her three biological kids with ex-husband Brad Pitt.
Nicole said studying at the University of Melbourne meant that she did not need to think about having famous parents, and she enjoyed her privacy.
When she eventually started to build a career in the Philippines, Nicole said things would go smoothly as colleagues did not suspect that she is from a prominent family.
But eventually they found out and it caused Nicole discomfort.
“I think for a lot of jobs that I had, they don’t find out till much later. Kasi like, ‘Oh, you’re from Australia? You can’t be from here,’” she stated.
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“And then they find out later on and it’s like, ‘Cool, I love your mom, I love your dad,’ and I’m like, ‘Nice.’
“So, I think there’s a part of it before [that] I would really be against it. But now I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s my dad. Amazing!’ Like in a very, ‘Wala ka sa lolo ko,’ way.”
Nicole established a professional career in the Public Relations industry. Right photo shows a bonding moment of Zsa Zsa with daughters Karylle, Nicole, and Zia.
Photo/s: @cocoquizon, @zsazsapadilla on Instagram
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NICOLE’S POV ON ADOPTION
Nicole also feels strongly about the issue of adopted kids, as she is one herself.
She cited an example in which adopting kids is something that happens in the country more commonly than others realize, but becomes a big deal in certain cases, such as hers.
The way she put it, it could possibly be attributed to Filipinos’ love for drama, such as what they watch on television.
“What I don’t really get in the Philippines, for the longest time, we had this culture of ‘pasahan ng baby.’ Like I’ve had titas who were actually the kids of someone sa lola, and then was given to them. But then adoption is still a crazy topic, like, ‘What?! You’re someone else’s child?!’
“And I really think it’s just the ‘telenovela-ness’ of it, and like the idea of just the biblical mom and dad love each other and have a baby.”
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Nicole explained that adoption, in her opinion, is not normalized in the country because of how the media portrays it. She categorically cited media outlets that come out with lists of celebrities with adopted kids.
If anything, Nicole’s sentiment only gives emphasis to the detriment of artistas and celebrities.
As public figures, they are devoid of their privacy, and then their loved ones are dragged into the process, even if it is against their will.
NICOLE’S LIFE IN THE U.S.
Last November, Zsa Zsa posted on Instagram about her bonding moments with Nicole, who is now based in L.A., where she is now building a life with her husband.
Upon checking her Instagram account, it’s obvious that Nicole has a knack for photography. Her posts are a display of her talent for taking artistic shots of artworks and random, mundane things.
Her interests include artworks, such as painting and also food.
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Her captions reveal her fondness for ironic or sarcastic humor, but reveal someone who is intelligent and witty, nonetheless.
Nicole with her husband. The couple is now based in Los Angeles, California.
Photo/s: @cocoquizon on Instagram
THE BEST ADVICE
When asked about the best advice she ever received from someone, Nicole replied, “This is gonna sound super conceited, but me…”
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She then went on to elaborate on her answer.
She described herself as the type who easily gets embarrassed about everything. This attitude, she said, hinders her from proceeding and accomplishing other tasks.
Then one time, while she was at the office, she had an epiphany.
She said she saw a girl at the office who was crying, most probably due to stress from work.
Nicole said she approached the girl and told her, “Don’t stress out about it ‘coz no one’s gonna remember this event in two months.”
She continued, “I think it challenges the perception that we wanna be remembered, we wanna work to be remembered. But honestly, it’s not so bad if it’s forgotten. If you can forget the good stuff, you can forget the bad stuff.”
Nicole went on to say that this is her guide in taking on challenges that come her way.
“Every time I go into a challenge, like, I think I’m gonna fail at, or I think it’s gonna be super painful, it’s like, ‘Don’t worry, it’s gonna be over tomorrow.’”
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She further stated that regardless if the experience is good or bad, it will eventually pass.
“So, even if it’s bad or if it’s good, that’s done. It’s not perfect, but it’s done, or it’s not the best but it’s done.”