MANILA, Philippines — Behind Gab Valenciano’s explosive dance performances, viral “Super Selfie” videos and seemingly limitless energy was a far more difficult battle that his family had been confronting away from the spotlight.
Gary Valenciano and his son Gab have now opened up more deeply about that chapter of their lives, offering one of their most personal conversations yet about mental health, family, recovery and the pressures of growing up in public.
Gab appeared on the June 8 episode of Gary V’s podcast “Unshaken with Gary V,” where the father and son discussed growing up in the entertainment industry and the mental health struggles that were largely invisible to audiences.
The official description of the episode calls it an honest conversation about “the mental health struggles no one saw” and what it meant for Gab to eventually feel understood and seen by his own father.
Gab Valenciano’s struggle did not begin overnight
For longtime followers of the Valenciano family, Gab’s mental health journey is not a new revelation.
As far back as 2015, Gab publicly wrote about living with depression for years while struggling to find his place in Philippine show business. He described feeling rejected by the industry and said he had been hiding his depression while trying to maintain an outwardly normal life.
His difficulties would later become serious enough to require professional intervention.
In February 2019, after being hospitalized, Gab publicly emphasized that mental-health instability should not be treated lightly and thanked his family, friends and doctors for helping him through the episode.
That same year, his older brother Paolo Valenciano disclosed that Gab had begun regularly consulting mental-health professionals following his diagnosis. Paolo said the family saw Gab’s willingness to seek treatment and speak openly about his condition as part of his road toward recovery.
He eventually turned his experience into advocacy
Rather than completely hiding what he had experienced, Gab gradually became one of the more outspoken Filipino entertainment personalities discussing depression and mental wellness.
In June 2020, Gab described publicly how depression could affect sleep, appetite, motivation and a person’s sense of hope, while reminding people facing similar struggles that their condition did not define their identity.
He also stressed the importance of having supportive people around during difficult periods.
His advocacy continued in later years.
PEP.ph reported in 2022 that Gab had served as a Philippine Red Cross mental-health ambassador, using his platform to encourage people struggling emotionally to seek support instead of suffering in silence.
Recovery was not presented as a straight line
Gab has also been candid that improvement did not mean every difficult period disappeared.
In 2021, he revealed that anxiety had affected his eating and sleeping habits and contributed to a significant loss of weight. He described rebuilding both his physical and mental well-being as a deliberate process supported by people who encouraged him.
Later that year, another hospital visit pushed him to reassess both his mental and physical health after doctors found he was pre-diabetic. Gab said the experience forced him to think carefully about changes he needed to make personally and professionally.
Together, those accounts illustrate an important part of his story: mental-health recovery was not a single breakthrough followed by an uncomplicated happy ending.
It involved treatment, family support, lifestyle changes, difficult periods and a continued decision to seek help.
Gary V and Gab’s conversation carries a different weight
What makes the 2026 conversation particularly significant is that Gab is no longer speaking about his experiences only to fans or through social media.
This time, he is talking directly with his father.
The episode’s theme—“Father, Son, and Everything In Between”—centers on two people examining years of experiences from opposite sides of the same family.
Gary V himself has built much of his public identity around resilience. The veteran performer has lived with Type 1 diabetes for decades, undergone emergency heart surgery and previously disclosed being cleared of kidney cancer. His “Unshaken” podcast was launched specifically around conversations involving adversity, faith and recovery.
But a parent watching a child struggle can be a very different kind of battle.
And that is what gives the conversation emotional weight beyond celebrity.
It shows that fame, financial security, talent and a supportive family do not automatically make someone immune to mental-health difficulties.
Where Gab Valenciano is now
Gab’s career has continued alongside his advocacy and personal recovery.
The dancer, director, producer and content creator—whose viral work previously attracted international attention—joined Gary V during his 2026 North American activities. The Philippine Star also highlighted Gab’s creative career and his appearance on the third episode of his father’s “Unshaken” series.
Years after first publicly acknowledging depression, Gab’s story has therefore evolved from one centered mainly on crisis into a broader conversation about survival, professional treatment, family relationships and rebuilding a life after difficult periods.
That distinction matters.
Mental illness should not be reduced to celebrity drama or treated merely as shocking entertainment. Gab’s own public statements across the years repeatedly point toward professional help, supportive relationships and continuing effort as important parts of his journey.
And perhaps that is the most powerful part of the Valencianos’ latest conversation.
For years, audiences knew Gab as the man capable of generating extraordinary energy in front of a camera.
Now, Gary Valenciano is helping reveal just how much strength it sometimes took for his son simply to keep moving forward.
Leave a Reply