After months of speculation, Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial have officially confirmed that they’re in a relationship.
Photo: Richard Gutierrez, Barbie Imperial/Instagram
The two have been linked since 2024, when they were spotted together in South Korea, sparking romance rumors online. In a recent interview with ABS-CBN, the actors spoke about their relationship and their upcoming project together, Blood vs Duty.
“It’s refreshing na makikita rin kami ng audience together on-screen. We really try to live privately away from social media,” Gutierrez shared.
Imperial echoed this, saying, “Can I just say that we weren’t hiding? 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 keeping things low-key made their relationship feel more relaxed.
Imperial also referred to Gutierrez’s earlier comments about them. “Sabi nga niya (Richard) sa isang interview ni Tito Ogie (Diaz), what you see is what you get? Yeah, ’yun na ’yun,” she said.
In a January 2025 interview, Gutierrez previously shared that they became close after becoming business partners in a gastropub in Alabang. He also clarified that there was no overlap between his relationship with Imperial and his separation from 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,” he said, addressing speculation online.
He added that he felt the need to speak up because of the negative comments directed at Imperial. “Siyempre, kailangan ko siyang protektahan. Kailangan ko rin i-clarify yun.”
Lahbati confirmed that she was single in March 2024. She and Gutierrez, who married in 2020 after eight years of dating, continue to co-parent their two children, Kai and Zion.
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