Ruffa Gutierrez: There's no other woman

Speculation has been going around for quite some time now—is the marriage of Ruffa Gutierrez-Bektas to her Turkish husband Yilmaz Bektas on the rocks? Ruffa's stay in the Philippines have been prolonged, and her visits more frequent. People couldn't help but wonder why a married woman like her would choose to be away from her husband. Today, May 8, Ruffa confirmed thru Ricky Lo's column in Philippine STAR that all the talks about her marriage are true—she and Yilmaz are headed to Splitsville. Ricky reported that Ruffa and Yilmaz "have parted ways" and have "agreed to file for an annulment" after four years of marriage. Ruffa said in her interview with Ricky that there was no third party involved. "There's no other woman," she said to Ricky while sobbing. "It's so painful to both of us because we deeply love each other." Ruffa also said to Ricky that the main reason of their break up is "cultural differences." Ricky also reported that Ruffa "hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, mulling over his and Yilmaz's conjugal problem." The actress/beauty queen/model/TV host added, "Honestly, we tried very hard to make our marriage work, but then..." She continued, "We did try very hard to iron things out but we failed. In the past four months that I've been here, Yilmaz and I tried to sort things out, but things just wouldn't work out." According to Ruffa, her husband had wanted to come to the Philippines with some members of his family to thresh things out once and for all to save their marriage. "But I stopped him from coming," Ruffa said. She added, "We love each other so much and we parted amicably. We will remain loving each other. Still and all, nobody can erase the fact that Yilmaz is the father of my daughters [Lorin and Venice]." Ricky also reported that Ruffa is now discussing the legalities with her lawyer. "Yes, everything is final," replied Ruffa when Ricky asked her if everything was final and if their mutual decision is irrevocable. Ruffa and Yilmaz were wed at The Fort on March 25, 2003. They have two beautiful daughters, Lorin, who will turn four, and Venice, who will turn three. - Philippine Entertainment Portal