Janine on Nora’s conspicuous absence at Lotlot’s wedding

Gutierrez reunites with Enchong Dee in “Elise.”

It would have been nice if she was at the wedding,” said actress Janine Gutierrez of her grandmother, Nora Aunor, who was conspicuously absent when her mom, Lotlot de Leon, tied the knot with her longtime partner, Fadi El Soury, in December.

Janine confirmed that invitation was sent to the Superstar, “but we didn’t expect her to attend. Of course, she was invited because she is Mama’s mother. I really don’t know what happened. Maybe she was busy since she has an ongoing teleserye. We understand,” Janine said.

“What’s more important is that Mama’s whole family was there,” said the young actress. Lotlot is the adopted daughter of Nora and actor Christopher de Leon. “Oma (Lilia Dizon), the mom of Lolo Bo (Christopher) and my great-grandmother, was there; so was Tita Melissa (Christopher’s sister). I’m super happy for Mama. Ang laki pala ng pamilya n’ya.”

Janine said Lotlot’s biological sisters, Donna, Dawn and Myria, all flew from the United States to attend the ceremony. “For me, the highlight of the wedding was hearing the messages of Mama’s siblings Tita Matet and Uncle Ian, as well as Lolo Bo’s. I really felt their love for her.”

Janine is Lotlot’s daughter with former actor Ramon Christopher. She has three siblings—Maxine, Diego and Jessica.

Meanwhile, the actress said it was “really nice” that her boyfriend, Rayver Cruz, got to spend the holidays with her in the United States. “He met my relatives there. It’s always fun to be with Rayver—makulit at laging nagpapatawa. I also feel safe walking the streets there with him because he’s so strong. He works out a lot.”

Janine Gutierrez (left) and Rayver Cruz

With Rayver, “everything was just easy,” pointed out Janine. “I didn’t think this was possible with someone. Actually, when I was still working with (actor) Mikael Daez, he would always tell me that he and (his girlfriend, Miss Earth 2014) Megan (Young) never fight. When I met Rayver, I realized that this was exactly what Mikael was telling me.”

She added: “We understand each other. No drama. Since everything is just light and happy, I can easily focus on work, and on my family. Also, my parents love him. I realized that that’s how a relationship should be.”

Janine is currently promoting the romantic comedy “Elise,” which reunites her with Enchong Dee. The duo previously worked in Gino M. Santos’ 2016 horror movie “Lila.”

“Elise” is based on real-life events, according to its director Joel Ferrer, who also wrote the screenplay. It depicts events in the life of Bert (Enchong), who has always been in love with his childhood best friend Elise (Janine). They meet again years later and discover that they both have changed so much.

“It’s a lifelong journey for the characters, whose lives have always been intertwined,” observed Janine. “The question is whether or not they will finally end up with their first loves.”

“Elise,” which also features Miko Raval and Laura Lehmann, opens in cinemas on Feb. 6.