Filipina star Ellen Adarna: From secretary, to model, to tinsel town

Ellen Meriam Go Adarna, 32, is a Filipina actress, the eldest child and only daughter of a Filipina-Chinese mother and Spanish father. Ellen Adarna’s family is involved in the hotels and construction business.

Ellen Adarna’s family owns various hotels, resorts, condominiums and Queensland, a chain of motels in Cebu, Manila and Davao. They also own a Temple in honor of her late grandmother. She was born on April 2, 1988 to father Allan Modesto Adarna and mother Meriam Go.

Ellen Adarna, the eldest in a brood of five, was trained by her father to the run the family business.

Ellen Adarna's family. Her siblings: Teodorico Adarna, Danton Manuel Adarna, Carlitos Adarna and Brunonate Adarna.

Ellen Adarna started as an internet sensation.

She used to work for her dad in Cebu, in central Philippines, since she was 4th grader as a housekeeper. She also worked as her father’s secretary.

She started working in her father’s hotel business during summer vacation in order to get her summer allowances.

She has appeared in various magazine covers such as Candy, Esquire, UNO, Preview, Speed and Women’s Health.

When she was 18, Ellen Adarna decided that she did not want to work with her father and be tied down to the family business.

Ellen Adarna (Zodiac sign is Aries) is a health buff.

Her father did not approve of her decision. She pursued it anyway, first taking up modelling, before getting offers to act in movies.

Her modeling career started when the pictures she published on the internet drew hordes of admirers from netizens.

Her photos eventually got the attention of movie producers, who offered her acting contracts.

Ellen Adarna trains regularly to keep herself in shape.

In 2010, she played her role as Aryanna for "Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote". In 2011, she joined the cast of Tween Academy: Class of 2012

In 2013, she played a role as Dalikmata in a television series called “Indio”. She was also a cast member of the comedy sketch gag show Bubble Gang in 2010 and 2013.

In 2014, she played the role of Tamara in a drama series Moon of Desire.

She made three other movies in 2014: Basement, My Illegal Wife, Beauty in a Bottle.

She played the role of Raquel in "You’re Still The One."

Ellen Adarna also guest performs in the weekend TV music show ASAP.

She appeared in the covers of 'Candy' magazine after she won the Teen Model Search for the magazine in 2005 and 2006. On TV, she acted in Mars Ravelo’s Captain Barbell as Katrina “Kat” Lazatin.

In 2015, she acted in the TV show Pasión de amor as Sarita “Sari” Elizondo. The Filipina actress and model says she likes RnB, Acoustic music and a big fan of Da Vinci Code.