Actress Barbie Imperial has clarified that everything is fine between her and Sarah Lahbati, amid persistent online speculation linking her to Lahbati’s separation from Richard Gutierrez.
In a recent interview with showbiz reporter Ogie Diaz, Imperial stressed that she had no involvement in the breakup of Gutierrez and Lahbati, who were together for 11 years.
“‘Yung dalawa share 11 beautiful years, kung netizen ka, magtataka ka rin. Pero kung ano man po ‘yung naging rason ng hiwalayan nilang dalawa, masasabi ko po at alam ng Diyos po na hindi po ako ‘yun,” Imperial said.
She added, “Kung ano man po ‘yun, siyempre hindi ko po istorya ‘yun. Respeto ko po ‘yun kay Sarah at Richard, at sa dalawa po nilang anak.”
Imperial further pointed out that Lahbati’s behavior toward her shows that there is no animosity between them.
“Feeling ko kung inagaw ko talaga si Richard kay Sarah, magagalit talaga siya sa akin. May sasabihin siya about me. Babae siya. Kung ako rin inagawan, ipo-post ko. Pero si Sarah naman alam niya kung ano ‘yung reason, so kapag nagkikita kami sa Aivee, nag-smile naman kami sa isa’t isa,” she shared.
The 27-year-old actress admitted that the intense backlash surrounding her relationship with Gutierrez took a toll on her mental health, prompting her to stay silent at the height of the controversy.
“Pinaka malalang bashing sa akin itong relationship ko with Chard. Dito po ‘yung medyo na-depress talaga ako,” Imperial revealed.
She explained why she chose not to speak out at the time: “Hindi po ako makapagsalita noon kasi ayoko rin po makakuha ng reaction from Sarah. Ayoko po mag-triggeran kami. Hindi rin po ito simpleng relasyon na kami-kami lang—may mga batang maapektuhan. Ayoko rin pong mag-iba ‘yung tingin ng mga bata sa akin.”
Imperial also shared that she has a good relationship with Gutierrez and Lahbati’s two sons, Zion and Kai, as well as with the actor’s mother, Annabelle Rama.
“Maayos po sila napalaki ni Chard at ni Sarah. Sobrang mabait po ‘yung mga bata. Sobrang marespeto,” she said.
Imperial and Gutierrez have been romantically linked since early 2024 and officially confirmed last month that they are dating. The two are also set to appear together in the upcoming action drama ‘Blood vs Duty’, which also stars Gerald Anderson, Bela Padilla, and Baron Geisler.
