Sarah Lahbati: ‘I thought it was the end of the world’

MANILA, Philippines – “Kahit anong mapagdaanan mo kakayanin mo.”

Thus said Sarah Lahbati when recounting what she has learned from her ordeal last year in an interview with GMA-7’s showbiz talk show “Startalk” aired Sunday, February 16.

She further said, “During that time akala ko end of the world na. I was, what, 19 and it was really hard. But, yun nga, basta isipin mo na no matter what you go through,  kaya mo yun.”

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It can be remembered that the actress had a falling out with her home network GMA-7 January of 2013, which led to her leaving the Philippines and returning to her home country Switzerland despite having an existing contract with the Kapuso network. The falling out also led to legal battles with GMA-7.

During her one-year leave, it appeared Sarah, who starred in GMA-7 soap operas such as “Kokak” and “Makapiling Kang Muli,” would leave show business for good. But Sarah said was “really emotional” during the time.

“So many things happened na, you know, when you’re emotional and you’re down you make decisions na after months, you’re gonna be like, ‘Why did I say that?’ or ‘Why did I decide that.’ It happens to everyone, not just me,” she said.

The star of the movie “Basement” said she looks forward to acting again.

“I missed acting. That’s the first thing I missed. Working with amazing people, amazing directors, amazing actors na naging kaibigan ko na rin,” Sarah said.

“In fairness, na-miss ko yung puyatan,” she quipped.

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The young actress said her family and her boyfriend Richard Gutierrez helped her recover from her “emotional” ordeal.

“I’m just happy na I’m with him and we balance each other out and we bring out and the best in each other,” Sarah said of Richard.

Are they planning to settle down soon? “We’re happy right. We want to take each day na one step at a time lang,” Sarah told “Startalk.”