“It was never a topic for me…marriage. Maybe because I never really saw myself getting into this chapter,” actress Lovi Poe candidly admitted to Metro.Style recently. “I always say that it's only going to happen if I meet the right person.”
Well, by now, the public is already in on who that “right person” the lovely “Batang Quiapo” star is referring to—British scientist and Hollywood film producer Montgomery “Monty” Blencowe. The couple, who started dating in 2019, exchanged “I dos” the past weekend in an elegant, beautiful ceremony held at the stately Cliveden House in Berkshire, United Kingdom. As per Lovi’s Instagram post last August 8, she’s been secretly engaged to the dashing gentleman for a couple of years.
Lovi, daughter of the late action king Fernando Poe Jr. and one-time actress Rowena Moran, shared to Metro.Style that she met Monty thru a common friend. The morena beauty “needed a break from Manila” and flew to Los Angeles where their “common friend” played cupid and suggested to Monty that she take Lovi around L.A.
The actress actually wanted to be by herself then—she considers herself a loner—but welcomed the offer anyway. Lovi, Monty and friend agreed to have dinner and Monty offered to pick Lovi up—because she might find it difficult to locate the dinner venue.
“I stepped out of my place and then there's this guy standing in front of the car that looked like a Batmobile,” she told Metro.Style. Her first impression was: “Ah typical guy.” She thought Monty was the arrogant and flashy type, trying to show off his snazzy ride. But as the lady got to know him more, her initial impressions turned into admiration. Mr. Blencowe wasn’t arrogant at all; he was, in fact, shy.
Montgomery Blencowe was born August 13th in Brighton, England. His LinkedIn profile says he graduated with a Biomedical Science degree at King’s College London. He later earned his MA in Physiological Science and PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Monty is also a film producer, credited for such projects as Bruce Willis’ action thrillers “The Prince” (2014) and “Marauders” (2016), the Robert de Niro starrer “Heist” (2015), and the prison action thriller “Escape Plan 2” (2018). Two of his brothers are also film producers.
In the Metro.Style interview, Lovi described Monty as “shy, but also very funny,” a “fantastic guy,” and a “wonderful human being.” She added: “His values are intact, and that's why I said yes.”
One great thing about Monty, Lovi said, is his being very supportive of her growth. “He wants to see me shine,” revealed the Kapamilya star. “The fact that he wants to see me bloom even more as an individual makes me want to be with him and grow with him because I know for a fact that he won’t take my passion against me…the fact that he lets me be and he lets me fly, that's what I love about him.”
Speculations about Monty and Lovi’s blossoming romance started in 2019, when the couple was spotted together on a few occasions in L.A. and Las Vegas. In June of the same year, Lovi somehow made the confirmation she’s dating the British Monty when she posted on Instagram a snap of them together at UK’s most prestigious horseracing event, the Royal Ascot.
The couple successfully maintained their long-distance relationship since and kept their romance from the public eye. It was only last August 8 when Lovi finally shared with her IG followers their engagement that took place a couple of years back.
Monty asked for Lovi’s hand in marriage when she and her sister Yela were both in LA to attend a polo event. Monty had plans of popping the question in Malibu after so he booked rooms for the three of them. But Lovi and her sister got back from the polo event quite drunk so Monty decided to postpone the proposal.
The following day, Lovi was caught by surprise when Monty told her he would like to watch the sunrise with her. “Ano’ng nakain ng guy na ito at gusto niyang manood ng sunrise with me?” she thought to herself. She knew Monty is not a morning person.
Monty brought Lovi to the same spot they hung out when they first met, and the magical moment happened. “I was trying to hug him and [was] reaching for his hand and the ring was there pala sa kabilang kamay niya. He kept pushing it away. And then he asked me to close my eyes,” Lovi recalled. “Oh my God, is he proposing?” She was trying to hold back her kilig. “I opened my eyes and then I saw the ring. And then he was kneeling.” Monty popped the question and Lovi said yes straight away.