María del Rosario Goyco Rodríguez may go unnoticed, however charytin —the artist— with her sparkling personality, always! She enchants and infects everyone with her joie de vivre.
Over the years, these qualities have earned him the love and admiration of many in his native Dominican Republic, Latin America and especially here in Puerto Rico. A place he considers his second home and from which he rose to international fame in the ’70s.
As part of her show business career, the singer, actress and television presenter has 17 successful albums to her credit, which have performed at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, starred in films and soap operas, and won the John Foster Award. Peabody Award.
Charytín has more than five decades of artistic work and has become a cross-generational figure, with a fanbase of admirers of all ages and more than 400,000 and 700,000 followers on her Instagram and Facebook accounts, respectively.
All these achievements of his career no doubt honor his popular saying “Time flies… but not me!”, which now also lends his name to his autobiographical book, which he published last September.
The American blonde spoke to Total Wellbeing about this new venture, the secret of her eternal youth, future plans and more.
Iconic phrase that transcends…
In addition to the phrase he used to repeat, “Time flies…but not me!” It became an autobiographical book in which Charytín opens the doors of his personal and professional life to share with his audience through stories full of memories, successes, mistakes and great losses.
In this book – published by Harpers Collins Publishing – Charytín confesses painful family secrets and talks about her marriage to Puerto Rican Elin Ortiz, whom she calls the love of her life and with whom she had three talented children: Shalim, Sharinna and Alexander. It also looks at his close relationship with major entertainment stars and their rivalries.
“They had talked to me about it six years ago, but then my husband was very ill and he couldn’t keep his eyes on writing a book. Then I was approached by Harper Collins Publishing. I was hesitant at first, but I knew the day my life would be written about would be very different, so I decided to do it myself. It took a long time because it was so strong. Writing about life is much harder than living it. Thank God I was able to finish it, but note that it wasn’t at that time, it was right now,” said the judges of Univisión’s Tu Cara Me Suena of the project, which took them about a year to work on .
The award-winning TV host explained that the name comes from a phrase that “though it might sound a bit pedantic” reflects how she continues to work and break the molds of time.
He says the book collects important bits of his life, not everything but those that came from his heart as he was writing.
“The things I forgot are because they didn’t have to be in the book. There I recorded what life reminds me of day after day, without forcing myself to write. There are harsh anecdotes and sometimes he said: Not now, I’ll do that another time. It was my daughter who influenced me the most to keep going. I insisted that this was my legacy and that no matter how sad the stories were, people wouldn’t stop loving me for it… There are harsh anecdotes that people don’t even imagine that this is my life was. A lot of people don’t know anything about me other than what the TV presents, a married woman with three children and Charytín and that’s it,” he added.
But while the talented Dominican has found her soul in capturing her memories in a brutally honest way, she’s immensely proud to share the literary play with her fans, particularly Isla del Encanto.
Charytín as La Mosquita Muerta alongside Lolita Berrio who played the role of Herbie for El Show de Charytín. >Photo courtesy of Charytín.▲ Charytín promoting Las Rosas Blancas in 1975. >Photo courtesy of Charytín▲ On Charytín’s show and as a guest of José José in the 80’s. >Photo courtesy of the author▲
“Puerto Rico is a place where I arrived very young and married Don Elin. I was wondering what would happen next for me here, but the Puerto Ricans have always welcomed me with such affection that I am very happy to share this project with people who love me,” she added with emotion and energy added that distinguishes them.
We take this opportunity to ask you what the secret is to maintaining that energy and upbeat vibe over the years?
“I’ve always had that energy. From a young age everything I do gives me a lot of emotions. It’s something that was never taken from me. I think it’s the miracle of life and when we lose all that, we lose a lot of things. In life you have to be excited until the last day because when we live we have to thank God,” added the 73-year-old artist.
Prioritize your health
The Charytín Show and Escándalo TV woman attributes the secret of her eternal youth to her self-esteem and concerns about her health.
“Health has always been important to me. I started in the gym when I was 14 and have never been able to stop. I exercise five or six times a week. Especially weights because cardio gets me down too much. I’m also concerned about eating low-salt and staying hydrated. They are details that I apply in my life to be in the good health I have, thank God, until now. I really believe in that,” he shared.
Charytín with her sisters, nephews and children, 2017. >Photo courtesy of Charytín▲ Iris Chacón and Charytín preparing for the play Enchimás, 2018. >Photo courtesy of Charytín▲
But just as she has her secrets to taking care of her figure and staying healthy, the equally proud grandmother of twins – Shalim’s children – has other beauty tricks that keep her “handsome,” as she puts it.
“People see my face, which – even though I’m older and have slightly blonder hair – stays more or less the same, and that’s because I believe in doing some (aesthetic) things, but nothing drastic. I never want them to see me walk by and say who is she? As if he were unrecognizable. For me, the most important thing – besides staying hydrated – is to maintain a good diet and not sunbathe. The water keeps the skin wonderful and spotless,” he adds, who admits to having a fondness for creams, which he inherited from his mother, María del Rosario.
“Even as a child, my mother caught my eye. He took care of himself so much that when he died in his 90s he looked like he was 70. He always cheated on time. Energy aside, she had flawless skin because she was always worried about removing her makeup. I learned from her that I should never go to bed with makeup on, even if I get home from work at 5 in the morning. I am very concerned about my good looks, my health and my skin. For me it’s very important because I live in TV and I have an audience that I owe myself to and I like to be seen well so I sacrificed myself,” he explained.
Roman Escándalo, 1986. Doctorate with Iris Chacón, Andrés García and Charytín. >Photo courtesy of Charytín▲ Sandro de América and Charytín for El Show de Charytín in Puerto Rico, 1988. >Photo courtesy of Charytín▲ Elín and Charytín renew their vows at Disney World for the television special on Telefutura, 2007. > Photo courtesy of Charytín▲
Since life is all about balance, Charytín has his mischievous days for indulging in small treats like sancocho, shrimp, tostones, and rice.
“When I get to Puerto Rico, I eat everything there and gain weight easily. I generally eat well to stay healthy. My life is not normal because I live between suitcases and planes, but everything is fine,” said the man, who in his scarce free time tries to keep in touch with his family, to go for a walk with his daughter – based in New York-, spending time with her dog, cleaning up the house and reading.
With many dreams and projects
After 50 years in the entertainment business, Chary isn’t ready to break away from her audience. When asked about his future projects, he said that “there is always too little to do”.
“Until three years ago I hadn’t done a musical. I had this opportunity in Broche de Oro, Puerto Rico. So there are always dreams to fulfill. Something I would like would be a “talk show” type program, talking to people, keeping my sense of humor but presenting the realities of the guests. The experience of writing was also very nice and I would never want to miss it again. In fact, I have another idea of writing another book that I trust will start work on this month (March). These are various little things that are already on the table, so I can say them,” he said.
The actress of works like Hijas de su madre, Malas, Enchismás? and Broche de Oro, aspires to return to the stage and may even do another musical.
“In Puerto Rico they always think of me and projects come my way. With that affection, I always rejoice at the return of life,” he concluded.