SWISS-FILIPINA actress Sarah Lahbati broke her silence on her current relationship status, after a photo of her dining with a mystery man in Hong Kong was made public.
Recently, the actress posted a series of snaps of her recent trip to Hong Kong, including a photo where she was seen attending the Art Basel fair.
But showbiz reporter Ogie Diaz shared in his YouTube vlog the photo of Lahbati dining with the mystery man, which stirred speculations on social media. But at the press conference for her new show “Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa,” the actress said that she remains single and the man in the photo is just her friend.
She also clarified that the reason she flew to Hong Kong was that she wanted to experience art and meet some of her friends.
“I went to Hong Kong to experience and see Art Basel, it’s always been a dream of mine to check it out and I’m happy that I was able to go,” she said in a video posted by entertainment journalist MJ Marfori on TikTok.
“And that photo circulating around is my friend. I visited Hong Kong and met up with different friends,” she added.
Lahbati said she was unbothered by speculations about the photo and stressed that it is okay for a woman to have a guy friend.
“As a woman, we’re all allowed to have guy friends. But again, it’s okay to speculate because, again, I’m single and it’s part of this whole new thing,” she emphasized.
Currently, Lahbati is busy promoting her new series “Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa,” which will be broadcast by TV5 on April 8. The series is originally a comic-book-turned-film in 1986. The series is said to be an action-filled drama starring Lahbati and Kiko Estrada, among others.
‘No reaction’ on Richard’s dating rumors
The actress also spoke about her husband Richard Gutierrez’s dating rumors with Barbie Imperial. Lahbati simply said, “No reaction. NR.”
Dating rumors between Gutierrez and Imperial sparked in January when they were allegedly spotted at a bar in Alabang. But Diaz debunked the rumors through his vlog and said that the two stars were only beside each other for a few minutes, according to his source. This was when they were caught on camera, he added.
Last month, several social media users speculated that the two went on a beach trip together as they pointed out similarities on the celebrities’ latest beach-related Instagram posts.
It was on March 1 when Lahbati confirmed with ABS-CBN news that she and Gutierrez have parted ways and that they are on a co-parenting setup for their two sons: Zion and Kai.
