FILIPINO-BRITISH actor Derek Ramsay said he learned a lot when he ran away from home at 21 and lived in a depressed area in Quezon City for over a year.

?That was a great part of my life,? Derek said of the time he lived in a duplex in Barangay Masambong, southwest of Quezon City. ?That was also where I learned to speak Filipino.?

He recalled: ?In the morning, I?d wake up to the smell of barbecue being cooked in front of my house. Everyday, I walked the streets in my slippers and boxer shorts. Naging tambay ako sa kanto.?

The actor said running away was the result of an argument with his parents about the family-owned business. ?When I joined the company after graduation, I had all these bright new ideas, to change the way things were being done. [But] my dad was very old school.?

Derek?s dad was a detective inspector of the Metropolitan Police in London. He met Derek?s mother at the Cadogan Hotel in England where she was head of housekeeping. The couple settled in the Philippines and put up a security firm.

Derek, now 30, was quick to add that all is well between him and his parents. ?It may not have happened that soon, if not for a food poisoning incident. I ate pares (beef stew and rice) in a carinderia. I vomited blood and was confined in a hospital. My mom visited, and we?ve been okay since.?

Best friend

It was also in Masambong, Derek said, where he met his best friend, Martin Castro. ?He took me in. Martin and I had the same drive. We both wanted to succeed. We were able to move out of there,? he said.

Before he became a show biz success, Derek said he had to work ?little odd jobs? here and there. ?I meant to work my way to the top. I felt that my parents were spoiling me. I wanted to make my own life. Like my dad, I hope to one day look at the house I?ve built with my own money and feel proud. I paid my dues; I didn?t get the roles I wanted right away. I keep saying that if I wasn?t teamed up with Juday, I wouldn?t be where I am now.?

The big break came when he was cast opposite actress Judy Ann Santos in the teleserye ?Ysabella,? where he played the role of a chef. Shortly after, he got lead roles in popular Kapamilya shows like ?Nasaan Ka, Maruja?? and ?The Wedding.? He was also included in Star Cinema-produced films like ?Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo,? its sequel ?Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo,? and ?And I Love You So.?

?I still have so much to learn. I?m like a sponge at the moment. I used to try to steer clear of show biz. Believe it or not, I?m actually camera shy,? Derek said. He was on vacation from school (in the United Kingdom) when a talent agent spotted him in a mall here a few years ago. He was first noticed as a commercial model and a video jock for MTV.

Angelica?s BF

Derek admitted that his girlfriend, actress Angelica Panganiban, also contributed to his popularity. ?I was initially known to some as Angelica Panganiban?s boyfriend,? he said. ?But I never meant to use her to further my career. In the beginning, I simply wanted to hang out with her. I never used her to get jobs. I guess that?s why we?re still together after three years. We have a very healthy relationship.?

The two met in 2006 on the set of the fantasy series ?Super Inggo.? They?ve since worked on several projects together, the most recent of which is ?I Love You, Goodbye,? Star Cinema?s entry to the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival.

In the film, Derek is a photographer who works on a cruise ship. He and Angelica?s character Lizelle, a former girlfriend, meet again when Lizelle is about to marry another man.

Derek said the love scenes with his real-life girlfriend were the film?s toughest challenge for him. ?They look good on the screen but at the time we were doing them, it was very difficult,? Derek explained. ?I?m not used to seeing Angel being somebody else. She was really into her character.?