Richard Gutierrez, Barbie Imperial confirm they're dating
Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial have confirmed that they are in a relationship.
The two stars have been hounded with romance rumors since 2024, when they were spotted in South Korea.
In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN, the actors talked about their upcoming show together titled Blood vs Duty.
"It's refreshing makikita rin kami ng audience together on-screen. We really try to live privately away from social media," Gutierrez told the outlet.
"Can I just say that we weren't hiding?" Imperial added. "We just chose to have a private relationship talaga, 'coz we know na ayaw namin ng... What people don't know they can't ruin."
Gutierrez added that things were more "relaxed" when they kept it on the down low.
Meanwhile, Imperial referred to the actor's previous remarks about their relationship.
"Sabi nga niya (Richard) sa isang interview ni Tito Ogie (Diaz), what you see is what you get? Yeah, 'yun na 'yun," the Sins of the Father star shared.
In the January 2025 interview, Gutierrez shared that he and Imperial began to get close after becoming business partners for a gastropub in Alabang. However, he noted that there was no overlap between their romance and his split with his estranged wife, Sarah Lahbati.
"Ang gusto ko lang sigurong i-clarify doon sa mga tao is that si Barbie, walang kinalaman sa paghihiwalay namin ni Sarah. Hindi siya third party, hindi nag-overlap. Kasi maraming mga tao, ‘yun nga, mga bashers na nagsasabi na siya ang dahilan. Wala siyang kinalaman,” he said.
"Siyempre kasi parang ang daming nagre-react sa kanya, ang daming mga nag-hate comment sa kanya. So siyempre, kailangan ko siyang protektahan. Kailangan ko rin i-clarify yun, ‘di ba?" Gutierrez continued.
Lahbati confirmed that she's single amid breakup rumors in March 2024. She and Gutierrez married in 2020 after dating for eight years. They have been co-parenting their two children, Kai and Zion, since their split.
