Bonnevie was born January 27, 1961 to Swiss mother Jeannette Schäer and French-Italian-Filipino father Honesto Bonnevie. Her paternal grandfather was Pedro José de Bonnevie, a significant landowner in the Bicol region, who hails from Évian-les-Bains, France and was part French and Italian. Her grandmother was pre-World War II actress Rosita Rivera, also from Bicol. She is a cousin of singer Lou Bonnevie. She has two children from her previous marriage with comedian Vic Sotto, Oyo Boy Sotto and Danica, both of whom are now in the entertainment industry as well.