Richard Gutierrez says Barbie Imperial had no role in split with Sarah Lahbati
Actor Richard Gutierrez shed more light on his rumored romance with actress Barbie Imperial during an interview with entertainment columnist Ogie Diaz.
Ogie interviewed the Incognito star for his YouTube channel, where he inquired about Richard's estranged wife Sarah Lahbati and Barbie, who has been spotted with him on numerous occasions.
When questioned about his relationship with Barbie, Richard simply stated, "What you see is what you get."
“Siguro for now, like gaya nga ng sabi mo, nakikita naman ng mga tao. Doon muna tayo sa what you see is what you get sa amin ni Barbie,” Richard said.
Richard said it all began when he and Barbie became business partners for a gastropub in Alabang.
"Doon namin nakilala ang isa't isa. And yun, masaya siyang kasama, enjoy kaming dalawa, and doon na nagsimula," he said.
He shared that he was drawn to Barbie's genuine nature and pure intentions. "Mabuting tao, maalaga. Nakikita mo na genuine yung intentions niya, genuine yung pagkatao niya."
As his relationship with Barbie deepened, he felt he had to address the rumors and allegations that cast doubt on the timeline and nature of his relationships with Barbie and Sarah. He clarified that he and Sarah had been separated when he got to know Barbie.
"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?" Richard continued.
In the same interview, Richard revealed that he and Sarah are seeking to have their marriage annulled and have both moved on.
“Kung ano man yung dahilan, matagal na panahon na yun. Nakamove on na kami pareho. 2025 na, gusto ko magsimula yung taon na maganda, peaceful, at happy… Let’s leave that past in the past and we’re all trying to move forward,” he told Ogie.
The first sighting of Richard and Barbie came after months of breakup speculations between the former and his wife, Sarah.
The dating speculations started in 2023 when social media users noticed that Richard and Sarah stopped posting photos of them together online as usual and have been spending time with their kids separately.
Last March, Lahbati confirmed she was single. She and Richard have been co-parenting their children Kai and Zion since they called it quits.
Richard and Sarah got married in 2020 after dating for eight years.
