María Mercedes Cuesta: new life, new house and new hobbies

At 50 years old, former presenter and former assemblywoman María Mercedes Cuesta has left behind the hustle and bustle of Guayaquil , the lights of showbiz and the demands of public life to move to the quiet beach of Olón, in Santa Elena.

Since January 2024, Meche has rented an apartment on the seashore, where he lives in peace and fulfills several of his most personal dreams, such as surfing . Two months ago she signed up for surfing lessons and, laughing, she says that she is managing to do it, even though her grandmother used to chase her around the beach when she was a teenager to prevent her from trying.

“I can’t describe what I feel when surfing, it’s indescribable. It is resilience itself. First, the connection with the sea, which calms me. Second, paddle hard, be able to stand up and maintain balance on the board. You fall, the wave rolls over you, but you get out, breathe and start again from scratch, waiting for the other wave. That’s how life works too. “I changed my life for the waves of the sea,” says Cuesta.

A NEW COMPANION 

Her surf teacher, Mish Soriano , has a dog named Ac, who accompanies Cuesta during her classes, swimming next to her or waiting for her on the shore after each lesson. “When Ac greets me, she seems to tell me that I did well. She wags her tail at me and I have come to love her very much. She swims amazingly and she takes care of Mish and me. It’s amazing,” she comments as she pets Ac.

A PERSONAL AND TRANSFORMATIVE DECISION

Moving to Olón was a decision that María Mercedes only shared with her youngest son, Sebastián, who accompanied her to the Terrestrial Terminal. “I took a bus with my suitcase and, without having a specific place to go, I decided to start from scratch. One must be where one can flourish. I was immensely happy in Guayaquil. I’m not saying that I can’t fulfill my dreams in the city, but I have decided to do it here,” she explains.

This decision came after making sure that her two children were independent. “Sebastián already graduated, so I decided to live my life. Mare Cevallos (actress) is a berraca woman, she keeps to herself, she is a beautiful woman. They are both happy. At the end of the day, the family just wants to see you well.”

One event in particular also prompted her to make this decision. “On January 9, there was a terrorist attack at TC and a shooting on Avenida del Bombero (north of Guayaquil). I couldn’t drive my car calmly because a motorcycle parked next to me and it terrified me, it seemed like they were going to do something to me. I was going to get sick like that and I didn’t want that. I couldn’t live there anymore. “That was terrible, terrible to see several of my colleagues and friends suffering in that way.”

NEW WORK HORIZONS

Since her arrival in Olón, she has received several job offers, but none have tempted her to return to her previous life. “I work freelance, I am my own boss and I have flexible hours. I don’t want to be tied to a medium again. Here you live with little, you don’t need a lot of clothes, outings, things. What I want to build is my best version, to live in peace.”

Cuesta continues to work as spokesperson for the Dragando por Guayas Consortium and undertake digital projects. This is the life she always wanted, her grandparents’ dream come true. “They wanted to have their house on the beach and do what I do now, they are more or less 96 years old, but they still don’t do it. The truth is that I feel that before I survived, now I live. I don’t miss anything about Guayaquil, only the cinema. I have a quiet life and I still have vitality and strength at 50 and I want these years to be good.”

HE CHANGED HIS LIFESTYLE BY 100%

María Mercedes has not only left the city behind, but also what her life in show business was . She said goodbye to heels and blazers. “I don’t miss heels. The other day I put some on and I almost died, my feet hurt for two days. “I already walk around in flip-flops and rubber shoes.”

Now, Cuesta cooks more often, since he has been studying Gastronomy for a year and recently began doing an internship at ‘ Alma Parrilla ‘, a restaurant in the area. “Cooking is loving people, this is how I show them my love. At Christmas, I don’t think about gifts, but about the menu I will prepare for dinner. I make specialties like Indian, Asian and pasta food.”

Despite his culinary skills, she does not see herself participating in the cooking reality show MasterChef Celebrity Ecuador. “I’m not interested, and I’m not saying I shouldn’t drink this water, but I don’t like hate on social networks, I get a little intoxicated. Since I am in a beautiful stage of my life, I would not want to become intoxicated with that circle again. Television is something that has already left my life. I don’t know what will happen, but I live one day at a time. If you told me today that they called me to go to that program, I would thank them, but no.”

A GOODBYE TO SHOWSHIP

The showbiz life was left behind. “I got out of every chat she had. I have never been friends with people in show business , ever. My friends have been the same as always from school. I have never liked show business, I hate it. I believe that no one has the right to interfere in the private lives of others. In the 30 years that I worked in TV I understood that, so that no one talks about my life, I should not talk about it.”

She never understood the hatred on social networks, especially that directed towards her daughter Mare. “It kills me, I’m her mother. There are such false and horrible things. They have told me, why didn’t I abort her? There are many mental illnesses that are reflected in comments. I think a rotten soul can write things like that.”

María Mercedes Cuesta has found in Olón the peace and happiness she was looking for, leaving behind the glamor of showbiz to live a full and simple life, surrounded by what really matters.