After confirming her relationship with Richard Gutierrez, actress Barbie Imperial clarified that she had no involvement in the breakup between her current boyfriend and his ex-wife, Sarah Lahbati.

During an interview for the Ogei Diaz vlog, Barbie clarified that her relationship with Richard had nothing to do with his separation from Sarah.

"Wala na sila non. Hindi ko lang po sigurado, Tito, kung anong month ‘yung eksaktong naghiwalay sila. Pero yung amin po ni Richard nag-start nung pumunta po kami ng Tipsy Pig kasi po part-owner po ako don (They were already over by then. I’m just not entirely sure, Tito, which exact month they separated. But as for Richard and me, it started when we went to Tipsy Pig because I’m a part-owner there)," Barbie said.

The actress also clarified that she and Richard were not yet in a relationship when a video of them together went viral online.

"Pumunta rin po si Richard to support Tipsy Pig for Neil Arce. Tapos doon po nagkakilala kami, tapos may video na kaagad—nagchichikahan pa lang kami non (Richard also went to support Tipsy Pig for Neil Arce. That’s where we met, and there was already a video right away—we were just chatting at that time),” she added.

Regarding the third-party allegations, Barbie said she understood the public’s reaction, "Yung dalawa [Richard and Sarah] shared 11 beautiful years, diba? So kung netizen ka rin at nakikita mo ‘yun, magtataka ka rin diba? (The two of them [Richard and Sarah] shared 11 beautiful years, right? So if you’re a netizen and you see that, you’d also wonder, wouldn’t you?),” She said.

Despite being called names, Barbie said that people close to her know the truth.

"Kung ano man po yung naging rason ng hiwalayan nilang dalawa, masasabi ko po at alam ng Diyos po na hindi po ako yun tito. Alam po ng buong showbiz yan—ng mga nakakakilala kay Richard, kay Sarah, and sa akin (Whatever the reason behind their separation may be, I can say—and God knows—that it wasn't me, Tito. The entire showbiz industry knows that, especially those who know Richard, Sarah, and me),” she stated.

Acknowledging Richard and Sarah’s past relationship, Barbie pointed out that what happened between them is not her story to tell.

"Alam po nilang pareho kung ano po yung reason ng hiwalayan po nila. Alam din po nila pareho na hindi po ako ‘yun and kung ano man po yun, syempre hindi ko po istorya yon. Respeto ko po ‘yan kay Sarah, kay Richard, and sa dalawa po nilang anak (They both know the reason for their separation. They also both know that it wasn’t me, and whatever that reason may be, of course, it’s not my story to tell. I respect Sarah, Richard, and their two children),” she said.

Barbie also shared how her relationship with Richard has contributed to her personal growth.

"As in parang nag mature talaga ako, Tito, sa mga desisyon ko sa buhay. Especially yung ano—thinking first, bago ako magsalita—Kasi dati kapag alam ko lang na tama ako, enough na ‘yun para idefend ko yung sarili ko. Pero dito ko natutunan mag-mature na kailangan pag-isipan ang mga desisyon na gagawin ko (I really became matured when it comes to the decisions I make in life, especially learning to think first before speaking. Before, as long as I knew I was right, that was enough for me to defend myself. But through this, I learned to mature and to carefully think through the decisions I make),” Barbie added. (Elizza Callos, intern)