Padilla was born to a Filipina mother and a British father who is a banker in an online company from Nottingham, England.^[2] In 2008, then known by the stage name Krista Valle, she was one of the new talents introduced by ABS-CBN via Star Magic Batch 15. The same year she got her first TV role in the teen drama Star Magic Presents: Abt Ur Luv Ur Lyf 2.

In 2009, she played a minor role in the TV series Totoy Bato. The show stars Robin Padilla, who is a distant relative of Krista.^[2] She then became a cast regular on the third season of Lokomoko High.

In 2010, she left Star Magic, replaced her manager with Claire dela Fuente and moved to GMA 7. Along with the move she also changed her stage name to Bela Padilla.

In 2011, Padilla was awarded the Miss Friendship and the Media's Darling awards in the Asian Super Model Contest that was held in Guilin and Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, on September 6 and 7.^[3]

In February 2012, she was at the center of a controversy when her FHM Philippines magazine cover was accused of racism and withdrawn.^[4]