Singer Billy Crawford is back in the country after he left for Europe two months ago to revive his international music career.

According to ABS-CBN, the actor surprised his girlfriend, singer Nikki Gil, when he appeared onstage during the July 1 airing of the Sunday variety show ASAP 2012.

“My name is Billy, I’ve been gone for a long time and nandito ulit ako (My name is Billy, I've been gone for a long time and now I'm back). Hi, Nikki,” he was quoted as saying.

For her part, Nikki said she was definitely surprised by Billy’s sudden appearance in the show.

“Na-stress ako kasi gusto ko siyang yakapin ng moment na ‘yon kaso hindi ko magawa, kasi ‘PBB Teens,’ you know, in the afternoon on a Sunday is not allowed (I got suddenly stressed out because I wanted to hug him that moment, but I can’t, because ‘PBB Teens,’ [engaging in public displays of affection] you know, in the afternoon on a Sunday is not allowed),” she said in an interview with PEP.ph.

Nikki also shared that she and Billy are very glad to be reunited.

“He’s back and we had our first date in two months [last Monday],” she said with a smile. “It’s like how it was some four years ago, happy kami (we’re happy).”

In an earlier interview with ABS-CBN, Nikki shared that it wasn't easy to maintain a long-distance relationship, but they were able to keep their love alive through constant communication.

"Yes, it's hard to be away from each other, but we make sure that we keep in touch everyday either through phone calls or Skype," she said.

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)