Ruffa Gutierrez revealed that she is in a relationship with Herbert Bautista.

The couple's budding romance started when they became co-stars on the 2020 series The House Arrest of Us.

Ruffa described their relationship as serious and private.

"I think now it's just better that, a quiet personal life just leads to more happiness... I'll never go into a relationship that's not serious. I'm always the serious type," she said in an interview with Karen Davila.

Her daughter Venice Bektas had nothing but good words for Herbert.

"Her current partner now, he's lovely, he's a nice guy, he suits her really well, and she is ecstatic about him. Of course, I'm very happy for and again if she's happy, I'm happy," Venice said in the same interview.

On their first date, Ruffa relayed that Herbert invited her daughters Venice and Lorin Bektas which she greatly appreciated.

"They were included on our first date. Very proper. Sinundo kami sa bahay tapos sinama 'yung mga anak ko, sabi: 'I wanna meet them and to make sure that they're okay with him and everyone is comfortable' and that was Christmas time," the actress relayed.

"Honestly just seeing our mom with him, she was just so happy," Venice recalled on the said date.

Lorin highlighted that she sees a strong connection between her mom and Herbert.

"I do think that the telltale sign that this is real and this is a really strong connection is that he helped her get back into school and really encouraged that for her," Lorin highlighted. 

Ruffa shared that it was Herbert who encouraged her to pursue a college degree.

"I graduated college during the pandemic and I remember when [Herbert and I] first met or reconnected again on the set of The House Arrest of Us, sabi niya, 'Mag-aral ka ulit. Matalino ka.' Sabi ko, 'Yeah, I'm doing short courses now since it's the pandemic.' [Sagot niya], 'Hindi tapusin mo ang college mo, kayang-kaya mo 'yan."

The actress said that she did major adjustments initially as it had been a while since she did school.

"The last time I was in school, I was 16 and now I'm in my 40s. It was something new to me and once I graduated, my professors were also encouraging me, 'Tapusin mo na, mag-masters ka pa.' Now I'm doing my masters. I'm almost at the end of the road. I want to set an example for the children na kung kaya ko, kaya niyo rin," she said.

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When asked what else she wants to achieve in life, Ruffa replied: "I'm on my way to getting a masters degree because I want to take control of my life and make sure that the next step will be something that I can fall back on."

The actress said that she is willing to explore various endeavors in the future.

"I know that showbiz, this is not forever. Maybe I'll continue producing, maybe I'll give back to the community, I'm not sure, that's something that I am praying for. I just don't want to plan it. I think right now I am just happy with where I am and I'm excited what the future holds," she stated.