Tall, fair and heartbreakingly handsome, Dingdong Dantes is definitely one of the most eligible celebrity bachelors in the country today. Small wonder then that he's been linked to various women, from his former ka -love team, Antoinette Taus, to his current on-screen partner, Karylle, and even to a news reporter of GMA 7.

But Dingdong remains mum on the state of his heart. The dashing 24-year-old actor and TV host would rather keep his private life really private. "Honestly, talking about my love life won't help [my career]," he declares.

He lets out some hints of his romantic side, though. When asked how he describes himself as a boyfriend, Dingdong replies that he's buhos (all out), tahimik (quiet) and seloso (jealous type). Also, he's not into PDA (public display of affection), so there's no truth to rumors that he's been caught in an uncompromising situation with some girl.

Dingdong prefers conservative women. "I'd be very bothered if she parties too hard," he says. "A person's nature can't change but if I find myself falling for a woman like that, well I'll just have to find the balance between what I like and not like about her. I must say it's going to be a compromising situation."

This Leo guy (birthday: Aug. 2, 1980) reveals his romantic bent when he quotes lines from a movie whose title temporarily escapes him: "Regular love heals in two days. Big love heals in two years. Great love will change your life."

So far, the most serious relationship he'd been into was when considered leaving his family for the sake of his girlfriend then. "I don't know, it just crossed my mind at that time," he says, shaking his head.

Is he thinking of settling down soon? "I don't believe in setting a certain age to get married," he says, "but it's not in my immediate future plans. There are a lot of things for me to do. More than the material benefits, it's the feeling of fulfillment that fires me up."

Nodding, Dingdong shares that he looks forward to tackling compelling characters and winning awards in the process. He also welcomes the idea of one day joining Aga Muhlach and Richard Gomez in the elite circle of well-regarded and highly-paid leading men.

With many projects coming his way, Dingdong is clearly on his way to stardom. He had successful back-to-back horror flicks ("Spirit of the Glass," shown in the last Metro Manila Film Festival, followed by "Bahay ni Lola 2) and multiple chores on Channel 7, his home network.

As one of the co-hosts of the variety program "SOP," Dingdong usually does song and dance numbers on the weekly show. He likewise does spiels in between the scary or suspenseful sequences of "Kakabakaba," another GMA program. A primetime drama series is in the offing, too.

Dingdong, real name Jose Sixto Gonzales Dantes III, joined show biz in 1996 as a member of the all-male dance group Abstract. He recalls he was just having fun then and didn't think of making a career out of it. He caught the eye of studio and movie bosses, who immediately recognized his potentials as a matinee idol and all-around performer.

Dingdong's first big acting gig was in the second generation "TGIS" (the first batch had Bobby Andrews, Angelu de Leon, Raven Villanueva, Michael Flores et al), where he played the resident cool dude, Iñaki. Three love teams were introduced in the show: Dingdong and Antoinette Taus, Kim de los Santos and Dino Guevarra and, Sunshine Dizon and Polo Ravales. When the teen series folded up, the young stars focused on their solo careers.

It was Dingdong who got ahead of the pack. First he became a soap star via "Sana ay Ikaw na Nga," which launched his love team with Tanya Garcia. The pair was quickly given a follow-up project, the drama-comedy-musical "Twin Hearts." Eventually, the heartthrob was teamed up with his other co-star, Karylle, the singer-actress daughter of Zsa Zsa Padilla.

Dingdong and Karylle went on to star in one of the episodes of the seasonal twinbill "Love to Love," and then in "Bahay ni Lola 2,' where they played a young married couple. Although there have been reports that the two are playing beautiful music together, they have neither confirmed nor denied their off-screen romantic affair.

In between, he got to work with the likes of Sharon Cuneta, Christopher de Leon and Judy Ann Santos in "Magkapatid," and Jolina Magdangal in "Annie B" and on the second season of GMA's talent search "StarStruck"

Through all these successes, Dingdong didn't forget his promise to give his parents a college diploma. He's still working on it and though it may take him a long while to finish his course (Interdisciplinary Studies and Communication Arts, major in film and TV), he just keeps on going - even if it means shuttling between his show biz commitments and his classes at the Ateneo de Manila.

"My childhood dream was to be a lawyer, that's why I initially took Philosophy at San Beda but eventually, I shifted to my current course," relates Dingdong. He thinks show business and education can be compatible. For reasons that the hands-on training that he gets from his work gives him practical perspectives to the theories that he learns in class.

Two years ago, he completed a school project, a short film, "Harana," that he directed with his friends Tanya and Gabby Eigenmann as his stars titled. "It's about a guy who's madly in love with a girl. When she fails to reciprocate his amorous intentions, he begins to show his schizophrenic side," he narrates.

Dingdong submitted a demo copy of "Harana" to the producers of "Kakabakaba," who were apparently so impressed by the dark theme and edgy execution of the short film that they decided to give the budding director his first professional assignment.

"Directing is my passion," he maintains. "But I'd like to stay long in the business as an actor. I don't mind the matinee idol label. It's the work that I love most. I also like hosting."

He especially likes being involved in "Kakabakaba" as host and director because he's into the horror-suspense genre. He lists the "The Eye" as the scariest movie for him. He has his own share of paranormal experiences, one of which happened about three years ago in a Baguio hotel.

"While I was sleeping one night, I was roused by the sound of a bouncing ball," he recounts. "So I got up to find out what it was all about. When I got out of the room, I didn't see anybody. Then suddenly, a ball rolled past my feet. It was really scary."