AS A COLLEGE STUDENT, LUCY Torres was so shy, she would shake when asked to speak before an audience.

?During school presentations, I would hide behind my classmates,? recounted the TV host, who is also the wife of actor Richard Gomez.

She added that she sees her former self in her seven-year-old daughter Juliana.

But Lucy exuded only confidence during this chat with Inquirer. In a green halter top and blue jeans, she gamely talked about the importance of healthy living.

?God helps you confront your fears,? Lucy said at the launch of Pascual Laboratory?s Ascof Lagundi Cough Syrup, which she endorses.

?I was just getting used to being a TV host and talking to people in front of the cameras, and then I had to deal with dancing for them,? she recalled.

Aside from appearing in the daily magazine show ?Sweet Life? with Wilma Doesnt on QTV 11, Lucy hosts the weekly dance fest ?Shall We Dance? on TV 5.

How do you encourage Juliana to come out of her shell?

I tell her, ?Juliana, these are people, too. They understand where you?re coming from.? I guess that comes with age. We don?t pressure her to be Ms. Friendship. I don?t want to steal her childhood away. But at home, Juliana is a comic. She can impersonate Mr. Bean. I wish more people knew that side of her.

Juliana has appeared in several TV ads with you and Richard. How do you make her feel comfortable?

I try to work with the same team; that puts her at ease. I request for the same make-up artists and assistant director.

How do you cope with being in the public eye?

I think at first people were just curious about the woman Richard chose to marry. There?s constant interest in the things he does. Nasasama lang kami ni Juliana. There?s a certain responsibility that comes with being a celebrity. I don?t take that lightly.

What?s the best thing about being a mother?

There?s not just one thing about it. It?s really a joy that you can?t quantify.

Do you still panic when Juliana gets sick?

Thankfully, it?s always been just the usual cough and fever. In the early years I?d panic at the slightest thing. But you tend to relax eventually. This comes with having informed choices.

How do you manage your time?

It?s a matter of setting priorities, learning to say no when you start spreading yourself too thin. That used to be my problem; I didn?t know how to say no.

I don?t want to have regrets later on. I don?t want to be so busy and not see my daughter grow up.

People think you?re the perfect mother. Is that a challenge?

I was never pressured by the image that people have of me. I live my life the way I see fit.

Are you in a hurry for the next baby?

So much in a hurry (laughs). I used to dream of having six kids. Now it?s down to five.