Asked if she has been celibate since she broke up with her husband Yilmaz Bektas, Ruffa Gutierrez was momentarily speechless.
“Let’s just say that yes,” she finally found her tongue after a while, “I am celibate at the moment.”
But she’s not committed to anybody, not while she’s waiting for the decision on the petition for divorce she has filed against her Turkish ex, not even when she’s been romantically linked to John Lloyd Cruz (who’s smarting from that ugly unfounded “lock-up” rumor with girlfriend Shaina Magdayao) and is reported to be “dating” Cesar Flores, the Venezuelan head of Smartmatic.
Is Cesar the reason why Ruffa is learning how to speak Spanish (for which, suggested Tempo’s Ronald Constantino, she can very well ask her Spanish-speaking dad Eddie Gutierrez to be her coach)?
“Actually,” said Ruffa, “I want to study French because my brothers and I are planning to take a vacation in Paris.”
By the way, did she really fall too hard for John Lloyd (whom she fondly called JLC) that she’s reported to be having a hard time moving on?
“Grabe! It’s not as if I wasn’t the first person JLC talked to about his love life which he said then was ‘troubled’,” recalled Ruffa. “He said he was ‘confused,’ couldn’t decide who between the two of us to choose. When he finally made a decision, I just told him, ‘Good luck. I’m happy for you’.”
Friends have advised Ruffa not to find but to wait for somebody who’s “better” and, whatever it meant, who has “b--ls.”
The truth is that, busy as she is with two shows (Paparazzi and Star Factor) on TV5…with more coming, Ruffa said she hardly has time to be seriously involved with anybody just yet.
“I’m happily single,” Ruffa has been saying, and that doesn’t mean that she’s “available.” Not at the moment, anyway. “I’m not dating anyone. I’m taking my time. If they can wait, well and good. If not, there are other women out there.
“But I have to look beautiful not so much for men but for myself. I owe it not only to myself but to my fans.”
Let’s see how Ruffa maintains her Miss World (1993, Second Princess) body.
How do you take care of your skin?
“I do regular facials at The Belo Medical Clinic and I use Obagi for my skin and I make sure that I sleep without my make-up on. Also, I can’t leave the house without applying sunblock on my face. I’m really, really so maarte with my skin.”
What about your hair?
“I go for weekly hot-oil treatment. I had my hair straightened end of last year and it damaged my hair. I guess I should just be happy with my naturally wavy hair.”
Any other beauty regimen?
“I use many things for my body --- oils, creams, moisturizers. I love feeling mabango. I want my skin to be always soft.”
What kind of diet do you follow?
“I was pronounced healthy during my recent check-up at St. Luke’s, thank God. My diet consists of healthy food, like salads, fruits and steak, but pork is a no-no. My problem is that I have a sweet tooth and I love desserts. ‘Yan ang dapat kong bawasan.”
But doesn’t your mom, Annabelle Rama, love lechon (from Cebu)?
“Yuck!!! Yes, she does. I don’t know why. She’s hypertensive pa naman and diabetic.”
What’s usually for breakfast?
“I don’t take breakfast, just coffee. My friend gave me an espresso machine so I always have gourmet coffee in the morning. Otherwise, feeling ko my morning is not complete.”
For lunch?
“Usually fish. Actually, when it comes to food hindi naman ako maarte, that’s why my friends love being with me because I’m not like other girls who just pick on their food. I love to eat, but I don’t overeat. I make sure that if I eat a lot today, I don’t eat tomorrow.”
No rice?
“It has to be brown rice. But sometimes, I cheat. There are days when I eat sinangag, chicken tocino, danggit, spam — lahat pampataba, ugh!!!”
For dinner?
“I love having dinner out now that I’m hibernating from the nightlife. I usually have the steak dish, the lamb or the fish.”
Midnight snack?
“Nope!”
Snacks between meals?
“Carrots, cheese, cold cuts.”
Food that you avoid.
“Pork, kare-kare, binagoongan — and lechon!”
Food that you always crave for.
“My mom’s chicken adobo.”
What vitamins do you take?
“Vitamin C, multi-vitamins for women, iron and calcium.”
How much water do you take per day?
“I should take eight to 10 glasses a day but I drink only six.”
Soda?
“I don’t like soda at all.”
Coffee or tea?
“Coffee in the morning and green tea before sleeping, either Earl Grey or Chamomile.”
Do you have time to work out?
“I do plyometrics. I go to the same trainer with Solenn (Heussaff). I do boxing. I started to run but I stopped dahil sabi sa akin lalawlaw daw ang boobs ko. I don’t want naman my boobs to be lawlaw, ‘no!” (Webster defines plyometrics as “an exercise involving repeated rapid stretching and contracting of muscles [as by jumping and rebounding] to increase muscle power.”)
Any part of your body that needs improvement?
“Siguro I just want to have abs. That’s my dream. But you know, gusto ng guys ‘yung may nahahawakan silang malambot, huh. Ayaw nila ng matigas ang katawan.”
Part that’s most vulnerable.
“My kili-kili. I’m kilitiin.”
Favorite part of your body?’
“My legs. They are long and thin. I took after my dad (Eddie Gutierrez).”
First thing that you notice in a guy?
“You know, as you get older, you notice everything. Nagiging demanding ako; I guess because I know what I want now.”
What do you want now?
“Well, I want a real man who can speak up for me, who can fight for me. I don’t like a guy who talks too much, who follows me around. I love challenges. I like a guy who dresses well, who can walk side by side with me or in front of me who can lead me to the right way. He has to be God-fearing.”
What turns you off?
“A guy who is sloppy, ‘yung salita nang salita na walang sense. If you noticed, ‘yung mga nali-link sa akin are men of few words pero kapag nagsalita sila may sense.”
How much sleep do you get per night?
“I should get more than just six hours. If I’m next to my girls (Lorin and Venice), I sleep longer kasi kayakap ko sila.”
Favorite sleepwear?
“Lingerie.”
How many pillows do you sleep with?
“Five. I hug them so I don’t feel na wala akong katabi.”
Do you snore?
“No, not usually. But yes, I do snore when I’m tired but only cute baby snore.”
Do you talk in your sleep?
“No naman, thank God.”
Do you sleepwalk?
“I don’t.”
Last thing that you do before you go to sleep?
“I pray for all the good things.”
First thing that you do when you wake up?
“Check my celfone kung may interesting na tumawag.”
How do you cope with stress?
“I meditate, I spend time alone, I read, I go to the spa and get a massage.”
Favorite hideaway?
“My room. Nagmumuni-muni, day-dreaming.”
Favorite city?
“New York. It holds a lot of nice memories.”
How’s your love life?
“As I’ve said, zero. To people who wanna meet me, I ask, 1) what their intentions are, and 2) if they’re looking for someone just to go to bed with, I’m not the right girl. Go find someone else.”
How’s your sex life?
“I’m not answering that question.” (She did anyway) “Let’s just say that as of now, I’m celibate.”
Name three men that you think have a nice body.
“Piolo Pascual. Bradley Copper. Daniel Henney whom I interviewed recently for Paparazzi. He was here with Rain to shoot the TV series Fugitive. Did you see him in the movie Wolverine? Very sexy, isn’t he?”
And three women who have body-to-die-for like yours.
“Solenn Heussaff. Georgina Wilson. Anne Curtis.”
Uy, one is your brother Richard’s “future” and two are his exes.
“Well, may taste talaga ang kapatid ko. Grabe!!!”
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)