Richard Gutierrez and Sarah Lahbati's in-laws go cryptic amid alleged marital woes
Things are getting heated between the Lahbati and Guttierez families.
Rumors of Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez's separation started when eagle-eyed social media users noticed that they hadn't been sharing photos of them online and had been spending time with their kids separately.
They were last spotted together at Maja and Rambo Nuñez's wedding in Bali, Indonesia, but Richard was nowhere to be seen at Sarah's 30th birthday celebration last Oct. 9 in Siargao. Richard also went solo at the last ABS-CBN Ball and the Opulence Halloween Ball this year.
Although Sarah and Richard have not yet addressed the rumors about their alleged breakup, their respective families seem to have something to say about the issue.
Here's a timeline of events:
Annabelle reveals son has been staying with her
During her interview with entertainment reporter MJ Felipe on Thursday, Dec. 7, Annabelle Rama revealed that her son, Richard, has been staying with her for a month amid breakup rumors. However, Annabelle remained tight-lipped on whether Richard and Sarah had broken up.
"Hindi pa ko pwede magsalita eh, pero sasabihin ko sa'yo, si Richard na sa akin ngayon," she said, adding that the couple's children, Zion and Kai, are living with Richard at the moment.
Annabelle also revealed her current relationship with her daughter-in-law Sarah, saying, "Hindi ko siya nakakausap. Wala akong time makipag-usap sa kanila."
When asked about the blind items seemingly about Sarah, she said that his son has been busy working, while the former has only been busy "wasting money."
"Nakikita mo naman 'di ba?" she began. "Nakikita mo naman, hindi mo na kailangang magsalita pa. Nakikita mo na 'yan. Si Richard trabaho nang trabaho, 'yung isa nagwawaldas ng pera. 'Yun lang ang masasabi ko diyan,” she said.
"Mahirap para sa kaniya, kasi una, trabaho siya nang trabaho. Wala siyang ibang ginawa kundi magtrabaho. Pagdating niya sa Manila, hindi niya alam kung bakit nagkaroon ng gulo," she continued.
"Maghintay na lang kayo kasi malalaman niyo rin. Not now,” she said.
Annabelle addresses accusations that she is involved in her son's relationship
A day after the revelation, the talent manager posted a picture taken during a family gathering, accompanying it with a lengthy statement about the "fake news" circulating on social media in line with the issue.
"Mga chismosang Marites! Tigilan niyo na ang gumawa ng maling kwento. Lahat ng lumabas sa social media is all fake news. 'Wag niyo nang dagdagan ang mga maling balita, malalaman nyo rin ang katotohanan in due time," Annabelle wrote, pertaining to social media users who alleged she was the one who caused the breakup.
"Baka ma-shock kayo at hindi na ako ang lalabas na kontrabida. Malalaman niyo kung sino ang walang hiya na kontrabida. Mali ang bintang niyo sa akin. Sino ba ang may gustong maghiwalay sila? Ako ba? Or ang mag-ina?" she added.
Sarah's dad Abdel goes cryptic: 'Don't mind dogs barking'
On Saturday, Dec. 9, Sarah's dad, Abdel Lahbati shared a glimpse of a family get-together, with Sarah and her sons Kai and Zion present.
In the caption, Sarah's dad wrote a cryptic remark about not minding the "dogs barking." Some speculate that he might be referring to his daughter's mother-in-law, Annabelle.
"Enjoying every moment with family. The convoy keeps going and don't mind dogs barking," the caption read.
Annabelle describes unnamed woman as the 'best liar' and 'devil'
Once more, Annabelle wrote a cryptic post on Facebook on Dec. 10. This time, she referred to a specific "devil woman," whom she claimed to be the "best liar."
"Devil Woman, makamandag, manipulative, BEST LIAR. Please watch Gone Girl sa netflix, makita nyo ang leading lady ni Ben Affleck. I watched it 3 times. Hulaan nyo kung sino ang tinutukoy kung babae na DEVIL WOMAN," she wrote.
Although Rama didn't mention names, internet users seemed to have connected the dots given the clues.
In case you didn't know, Gone Girl is a 2014 American psychological thriller film starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. In the movie, Nick Dunne (played by Affleck) becomes the prime suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy (played by Pike), who sets up her husband for her murder after suffering emotional abuse and cheating issues with him.
Despite these, Sarah said she'll make it a point that she and her children will have a good Christmas during an interview with entertainment reporter MJ Marfori last weekend for her upcoming show Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa.
"Even if I'm working, I'm still gonna be very hands-on with the kids and make sure we have good Christmas," she said.
Richard and Sarah tied the knot in 2020 after dating for eight years.
