Actor Richard Gutierrez broke his silence regarding rumors about his relationship with actress Barbie Imperial following sightings of the two stars that sparked speculation on social media. This comes amid reports of Gutierrez and Sarah Lahbati facing struggles in their marriage.

In an interview with Ogie Diaz, Gutierrez stated, “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.”

(Maybe… for now, like you said, people can see it, we'll stick to ‘what you see is what you get’ with Barbie and me)

The actor clarified that Imperial was not the reason behind his separation from Lahbati and denied allegations of her being a third party in their marriage.

“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 explained.

(I guess what I just want to clarify to people is that Barbie had nothing to do with Sarah and I breaking up. She's not a third party, she didn't overlap. Because there are a lot of people, that's right, bashers who say she's the reason. She had nothing to do with.)

Gutierrez revealed that his separation from Lahbati occurred before he met Imperial, emphasizing that there was no overlap.

“Nakilala ko si Barbie, matagal na kaming nagkahiwalay ng landas ni Sarah. Siyempre kasi parang ang daming nagre-react sa kanya, ang daming mga nag-hate comment sa kanya, kaya kailangan ko siyang protektahan. Kailangan ko rin i-clarify yun,” he added.

(I met Barbie, when Sarah and I have been separated for a long time. Of course, because it seems like there are so many people reacting to her, so many people making hate comments about her, so I have to protect her. I also have to clarify that.)

Describing his relationship with Imperial, Gutierrez expressed admiration for her genuine personality.

“Si Barbie kasi totoong-totoong tao. What you see is what you get talaga sa kanya — mabuting tao, maalaga. Nakikita mo na genuine yung intentions niya, genuine yung pagkatao niya,” he shared.

(Barbie is a very real person. What you see is what you get from her—a good person, caring. You can see that her intentions are genuine, her personality is genuine.)

The actor also recounted how he first met Imperial through a shared business venture.

“Doon nag-start yun, nung nag-open yung Tipsy Pig sa Alabang. Naging partner din ako doon, tapos partner din siya. Lumabas kami dun, nag-meet kami dun, nag-hangout kami with friends and other partners. And then, doon namin nakilala ang isa’t isa,” Gutierrez revealed.

( It started, when Tipsy Pig opened in Alabang. I became a partner there, and then he became a partner. We went out there, we met there, we hung out with friends and other partners. And then, that's where we met each other)

In addition, Gutierrez confirmed that he and Lahbati are now in the process of annulling their marriage, signaling a new chapter in both their lives.