Richard Gutierrez gets real, admits he’s a dad

Last year, actor Richard Gutierrez and girlfriend Sarah Lahbati were hounded by rumors that they became the parents of a baby boy.

As promised, Gutierrez admitted that he was a “proud father” to baby Zion in the premiere episode of his family’s new reality show, “It Takes Gutz to be a Gutierrez,” on the E! channel last Sunday.

“We never confirmed nor denied anything,” Gutierrez told the Inquirer in an interview three months before the show’s premiere. “We’ve always told people that there will be a right time to make an announcement.”

Curiously, the right time coincided with the debut of the reality show that he was producing with siblings Ruffa and Raymond. He’s also promoting a new movie, “Overtime,” which opens on July 2.

“Finally, it’s time,” he noted.

He said he couldn’t wait to answer all the questions, “to share with people what Sarah and I had been through. Few people know the real story.”

And it is quite a headline-grabbing one.

After over a decade, Gutierrez left GMA 7 and went freelance. Lahbati got embroiled in a legal tussle with Kapuso executive Annette Gozon-Abrogar and had to leave show biz for a while.

She has since mended fences with her home studio and has come back.

Gutierrez said he encouraged Lahbati to make peace with GMA 7. “We talked about the issue and saw that it was wiser to not have enemies. Whatever happened, forgiveness would make you feel so much better than hatred. We turned negative into positive energy.”

RICHARD says his life is like a teleserye.

Now that all is well, is getting married the next big step for the couple?

“One major life decision at a time,” he said. “Our goal this year is to work. Sarah was away for a year. She wants to focus on her career. I will let her live her life.”

Soap-like twists

He admitted that their travails could rival the vertiginous plot twists in a prime-time soap opera.

“Our life is like a teleserye. It can be turned into an episode of ‘Magpakailanman’ or ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya,’” he quipped.

As Gutierrez’s mom and manager, Annabelle Rama, put it, “Sarah is part of the family.”

Gutierrez said, “Sarah will be seen [regularly] on the show, even though she’s now back with GMA 7… because she is part of my life.”

Most definitely, the decision to do the reality show (and answer the “baby” question) was not impulsive.

“We thought about this [show] for a long time,” Gutierrez said. “We planned and prepared for this. Whatever may happen, we are ready.”

All this came at a major turning point in his life, he said. Gutierrez and twin brother Raymond turned 30 on Jan. 21. “Perfect timing. The show will be a milestone for the entire family.”

Instead of partying in Manila, Gutierrez marked the big 3-0 quietly with Lahbati in Paris, France. “We have relatives in the United States and Switzerland. We visited both sides,” he said.

Being on the road is the best way to get to know someone, he said. “In spite of what we’ve been through, Sarah and I can still have fun and discover new things about each other. Our relationship has grown stronger. I also saw how strong Sarah is. Through the ups and downs, she can still laugh and support me in all my endeavors.”

The year away from the biz did him a world of good, he said. “For the past 11 years, I was under contract, jumping from one job to another,” Gutierrez said. “I didn’t get to live my life the way I wanted … In show biz, people only tell you what you want to hear. It blurs your perspective. I was glad to step away from the limelight and see things from a different angle. It was a good year. I got to spend time with my family.”

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