Biography 

Few people in the country would ever say that they don’t know Donita Rose. In fact, her striking beauty has crossed borders, making the entire Southeast Asia marvel at her. For most people in Asia, her claim to fame is becoming one of the longest-running video jocks (VJ) in the hit Singapore-based MTV Asia entertainment network.

Little does the rest of Asia know that Donita Rose has been hailed one of the most beautiful faces that have graced the Philippine entertainment industry. Her discovery was also accidental. Then-popular teen star Romnick Sarmienta spotted her among the audience of the teen program That’s Entertainment. Talent developer German Moreno immediately cast her as one of many teens on the  show.

Donita (complete name Donita Rose Cavett) was born on December 5, 1974, in Utah and the eldest of the four children. Her father is an American and her mother of Filipino-Chinese descent. She got her showbiz genes from her mother, who was an educator and director of several plays. After being discovered, she immediately became a top teen in the stable of Viva talents, doing movies such as Alabang Girls, Mandurugas, Working Students, and Class of ’91. As a Viva princess, she then worked in parallel with the likes of other popular talents such as Donna Cruz, Vina Morales, Andrew E., and Herbert Bautista.

She was later billed as the Philippine version of Julia Roberts due to her naturally bubbly but glamorous persona. However, the obvious American accent deterred her from landing serious dramatic roles early in her career. An exception was her role in Divine Mercy Sa Buhay ni Sister Faustina, playing the saint herself, though she was chosen clearly for her Western features and popularity at the time.

She would later get cast alongside Malu de Guzman, Gelli de Belen, Anjo Yllana, and Janno Gibbs in the hugely popular GMA comedy Ober da Bakod. This long-running comedy show also spawned two movies, garnering box-office success. She would also become a regular TV host in the noontime legend Eat Bulaga.

Her hosting stint and her straight English accent allowed her to cruise the auditions and become one of the diverse hosts of MTV Asia. She became a regular and took the reigns of various MTV shows such as MTV Most Wanted, MTV Connect, and MTV Asia Hitlist. Along this time, Singapore-based Donita still had time to do local movies such as Legacy (opposite David Hasselhoff), Bilanggong Puso, and Nine Mornings (together with Piolo Pascual).

In 2003 Donita married Eric Villarama, a former senior art director he met in the United States. They moved to Singapore in 2002; and they currently have one child, John Paul Villarama, named after Donita’s two brothers. Even then, her stunning beauty allowed her to become one of the endorsers of known brands such as FILA and Pepsi.

She hasn’t turned her back on her career, though, as she has become on of the hosts of the ABS-CBN show Umagang Kay Ganda. Truly, her experience has lent her the staying power only few can claim on the ever-changing world of the entertainment industry.