Klea Pineda

Klea Pineda is a Filipino actress and model who has become one of the most visible openly queer stars in Philippine entertainment. She was born on March 19, 1999, in Caloocan, and grew up with agricultural roots in Tarlac before her family moved to Metro Manila. She’s known for winning StarStruck Season 6 and later starring in the queer ensemble film Open Endings.

Klea Pineda – Bio/Wiki

Physical Appearance

Klea Pineda Background

Klea grew up between two worlds. Her family had agricultural roots in Tarlac, and she later moved to Metro Manila as her showbiz opportunities grew. She juggled school with early modeling and auditions from a young age, and money was often tight in those early years.

Her audition for GMA Network’s StarStruck became the turning point that reshaped her path. She won the title of Ultimate Female Survivor in 2015, and the win opened doors she hadn’t imagined. Family accounts describe her as level headed even amid the sudden attention, staying close to her roots in Tarlac and Quezon City.

Klea Pineda Education

Klea finished junior high at Sto. Niño de Novaliches School in Quezon City, then completed senior high at Springfield International School. Her school years overlapped with early modeling work and near-constant auditions, and she balanced classes with the demands of a growing career.

Klea Pineda’s Family

Klea is the eldest of three children born to Rino Pineda and Charito Pineda. She grew up with two younger sisters, and family accounts describe a close, supportive household despite modest beginnings in Tarlac. Her parents backed her early move into modeling and reality television.

Before publicly coming out, she was linked to actors Jak Roberto, Jeric Gonzales, and Andre Paras. She later dated content creator Katrice Kierulf for three years, a relationship she made public alongside her 2023 coming out. The couple’s split in 2025 was described by both as mutual and rooted in differing life goals.

Klea Pineda Personal Life

Klea publicly came out as a lesbian in March 2023, sharing the news alongside her relationship with Katrice Kierulf. The announcement drew wide support from colleagues and fans, though she also faced homophobic comments online. She has said she refused to live in fear and wanted to encourage younger LGBTQ+ Filipinos to do the same.

After her 2025 breakup with Kierulf, rumors suggested her Open Endings co-star Janella Salvador played a role in the split. Klea firmly denied this, saying her closeness with Salvador grew naturally while filming their queer ensemble movie together. The two were later seen at Pride events, which kept the speculation alive even without a formal label on the relationship.

She also faced a serious safety incident in mid-2026, when she said she planned to file a legal complaint after receiving a rape threat online during the promotion of Open Endings. Her production team and talent agency publicly backed her, and online reaction was largely supportive, with widespread condemnation of the harassment.

Klea Pineda Career

Klea’s career began in December 2015, when she won the Ultimate Female Survivor title on StarStruck Season 6. The win introduced her to a national audience and opened doors into television almost immediately. A year later, she landed the role of Muyak in the fantasy series Encantadia, giving her a taste of primetime success early on.

Her career built steadily from there. She played Candy Buenaventura in Ika-5 Utos, then took on the lead role of Clarisse Santos-Almonte in the afternoon drama Magkaagaw, a part that showed her range in heavier storylines. Roles in Bolera and AraBella followed, along with steady work in Abot-Kamay na Pangarap.

Her most defining project became Open Endings, a queer ensemble film that moved from festival screenings to nationwide cinemas and streaming. Around the same period, she began shooting her first international film, a step she has called a proud milestone for herself and for Filipino actors working abroad. She remains under contract with Sparkle GMA Artist Center.

Klea Pineda Net Worth

Klea Pineda Public Profile