Ruffa Gutierrez

Moving Forward with Grace

At 37, life isn’t entirely perfect for Ruffa Gutierrez. But she is living it beautifully.

By Ramona Ramos

THE last time Ruffa Gutierrez was on the cover of MOD, she was in the midst of a media circus following her major tell-all that she was a battered wife to her Turkish businessman husband, Yilmaz Bektas, which led her to end their seemingly fairy-tale marriage.

        But when the brouhaha finally died down, Ruffa proved to be a woman of sterner stuff with how she picked up the pieces of her life, turning a personal trial into a positive thing.

        She focused on work, getting a second wind in her showbiz career. After her controversial exit as cohost of The Buzz, she now seems to have settled as one of the prime talents of TV5 Network, particularly as cohost of Paparazzi, a The Buzz-style showbiz talk show.  Later this year, she’s slated to appear in Hototay, a Regal Films entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival. She’s also signed on to costar in a movie with Gabby Concepcion. She’s also one of the country’s top celeb endorsers. She is the face of Avon Fashions Jewelry and Accessories line for which she recently shot an ad campaign for its new collection, Festive Cocktail. As endorser of a beauty clinic, she recently donned a skimpy bikini on one of its billboards – something she hasn’t done since the ‘90s and which she did, she says, to inspire other moms to never stop caringfor their looks.

       Ruffa also found time to reach out to other women who have been victims of domestic abuse to come out and spread awareness on it as local spokesperson of Avon’s Speak Out Against Domestic Violence campaign.

      Ruffa has even dived into the dating scene – or did she? After being romantically linked to actor John Lloyd Cruz – which, really, deserves a separate story on its own — reports say she’s now seeing Brazilian businessman Eduardo Puertas. Puertas was seen with the actress during the silver wedding anniversary of Cavite 2nd District Representative Lani Mercado and Senator Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. in May, and during Miley Cyrus’s Manila concert in June. Ruffa, however, has insisted that she’s still flying solo and said that her children, Lorin and Venice, remain her top priority. She did spill that she has a few suitors, though.

Caught in Another Storm

        Now, four years after her well-publicized split with Yilmaz, Ruffa, who turned 37 in June, is back into familiar controversial territory as she “fights the biggest battle of her life.”

        Recently, Yilmaz made it known that he wants custody of their daughters and that he is willing to pay Ruffa two million dollars for a chance to be with their daughters in Istanbul.

This despite the decision issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 107 on March 11, 2010, granting Ruffa sole custody of their daughters, and visitation rights for Yilmaz.

      Despite this new development in her ongoing saga with Yilmaz, Ruffa remains unfazed, trying to stay positive and harbor no ill feelings towards her estranged husband. She also revealed she doesn’t badmouth Yilmaz to their kids, adding that she wants them to grow up respecting their father.

     “I just wish and pray all the time na sana magkaroon kami ng magandang usapan ni Yilmaz. Kahit na bilang magkaibigan na lang para sa mga anak ko,” she said.

Photos courtesy of Avon and TV5.