Richard Gutierrez says mom Annabelle Rama no hand in split with Sarah Lahbati

Richard Gutierrez, Annabelle Rama and Sarah Lahbati. Image: Instagram/@annabelleramaig, @sarahlahbati

Richard Gutierrez admitted he felt sorry for his mom Annabelle Rama after she was “accused” by some as the reason behind the actor’s separation from his actress wife Sarah Lahbati.

The actor opened up about his mom and how “protective” she is of her children, in an interview vlog with Ogie Diaz shared on the latter’s YouTube channel on Thursday, Jan. 16.

“Kilala naman natin ang nanay ko… Masarap na kaibigan, masamang kaaway,” Richard said.

“Ang nanay ko lang, talagang pag inudyukan mo ‘yan, lalaban ‘yan,” he added. “E bago lang siya sa social media… So may nababasa siyang mga negative comments, gusto niyang patulan lahat.”

Richard said he and his siblings have been repeatedly advising their mom to pay no mind to such comments, saying that most of those are merely “fake news.”

“Naaawa nga kami sa mom namin kasi nung pumutok ‘yung issue tungkol sa hiwalayan namin [ni Sarah], parang siya ‘yung napagbintangan na cause,” the actor disclosed.

“E wala naman siyang kinalaman do’n. Nagulat na nga lang siya na nangyari ‘yon,” he said.

Richard further stated that he had had no knowledge of the reactions his mom had made public regarding the issue.

“To a certain point talagang lalaban din siya pero only to protect her kids and protect herself. Hindi naman siya nang-aaway ng tao nang walang reason,” he said.

‘Move forward’

During the interview, Richard opted not to further delve into his previous marriage with Lahbati as they are currently undergoing the process of annulment.

Nonetheless, he underscored that their kids, Zion and Kai, are their priority.

“Kung ano man ‘yung dahilan [ng breakup], matagal na panahon na ‘yon,” he added. “Let’s leave the past in the past. We’re all trying to move forward.”

“Ang wish ko lang ay sana maging masaya siya sa lahat ng nangyayari or desisyon niya, kasi ako, moving forward, happy din ako,” he added.

On being branded as ‘cheater’

Aside from the actor’s personal life, Richard and Diaz also talked about the former’s upcoming TV series “Incognito,” whose cast members including Daniel Padilla, Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings were recently embroiled in controversies.

“Actually, natatawa talaga kami sa mga nangyayari kasi sunod-sunod tapos parang bawat cast member naiisa-isa do’n sa mga intriga,” Richard said. “Para sa amin, tuloy ang trabaho. Tuloy ang passion namin para do’n sa project, at tuloy ‘yung samahan.”

When asked if he and his co-actors felt “insulted” over remarks that their cast is made up of “cheaters,” Richard admitted that he would get annoyed at times but he would just eventually shrug it off.

“‘Yung binansagan kami na mga cheaters daw kami, hindi naman nila alam ‘yung bawat kwento ng nangyari… Ako, honestly, hindi ko na rin masyadong pinapansin,” he said.