PHOTO: Instagram/janinegutierrez, Instagram/jerichorosalesofficia

Jericho Rosales shocked the Internet (and everyone crushing on him hard—us included!) when he made a new revelation about his current dating life. Well, we’ve seen the matching individual museum date pics, but it still took us all by surprise when the Cosmopolitan Philippines cover star admitted to dating Janine Gutierrez.

We thought the two were just co-stars who became good friends and decided to casually hang out. Buuuut it turns out they’re more than friends—and to make it more exciting, we have to tell you that Janine already reacted to Echo revealing their current status.

In a separate interview done on the same day, Janine faced questions from the media regarding their upcoming teleserye, Lavender Fields, and of course, queries about Echo. Janine’s interview happened *literally* right after Echo’s.

ABS-CBN News uploaded a clip of Janine’s reaction to Echo’s revelation. In it, she said she was amused at the fact that Echo already disclosed their status to the public. Starting her reaction with a laugh, she jested about how Echo got comfortable sharing a lot of things about them.

“Sabeh? [laughs]” was Janine’s response upon hearing from ABS-CBN reporter Ganiel Krishnan that Echo thinks she’s a fun person to be with and that he’s into her. The actress expounded on her reaction by also disclosing how she had looked forward to working with the esteemed actor.

“That’s sweet to hear. I am also super excited to be able to work with him. One of the things I said…when this project was first pitched to me, sabi ko, ‘Hmmm sana si Jericho. Tapos kinwento ko rin yun kay Echo. When we first met, I said na ‘I’m so happy it’s you.’ Siyempre lahat naman tayo hinahangaan natin siya as an artista.”

She added, “Masaya ako na kasama siya dito as Tyrone and Iris. And then bonus na lang na we get along din off-cam.” More than working together, Janine also admitted that getting to know Echo has been a pleasant experience. “It’s been fun getting to know him and hanging out with him outside of work. So masaya naman,” she happily told the press.

Janine and Echo’s newly minted dating status came months after Echo officially revealed that he and ex-wife Kim Jones have gone their separate ways. It was the couple’s godfather, Ricco Ocampo, who confirmed the news. In his statement, Ricco pointed out that the two have remained good friends despite their separation.

Meanwhile, Janine and Echo sparked dating rumors after their “matchy” museum photos made rounds online. Reports were made that the two were spotted having “casual dates” around the Metro. In July 2024, Janine posted an Instagram dump of some photos she took from her recent museum visit. Her caption was, “Current camera roll.” It included photos of the art displayed at the National Museum in Manila, some portraits of her, and some candid snaps of her strolling around.

TBH, it was just the usual IG dump until Janine’s mother commented as if to spill some juicy detail about Janine’s recent post. Lotlot said, “Ah excuse me po.. Sino po kasama mo nagpunta dyan? Hmmmm…”

Then, Echo also appeared in the scene being the *naturally* funny guy he is, replied to Lotlot saying, “[waving hand emojis] Nag-door bell po ako para magpaalam pero hinabol ako ng aso eh.” The actor’s comment at the time appeared to be a confirmation that he was with Janine visiting the museum. It turned out they really were!

Janine Gutierrez On Marriage

Janine was also asked about her thoughts on her mother’s recent statement about her tying the knot already with someone. ICYMI, Lotlot de Leon expressed her thoughts about Janine’s dating life.

In an interview with PEP, Lotlot made a clear stance about Janine’s dating status, saying it’s not gonna be something that she would interfere with anymore. “Well, alam mo, basta ako, kung nakikita ko na tinatrato yung anak ko nang maayos, na may respeto, na aalagaan siya nang mabuti at mamahalin at magiging tapat, bakit hindi?”

The mother added, “Nasa marrying age na siya, if she finds the right man for her, na with all the qualifications na hinahanap niya, bakit hindi? Again, I trust my daughter’s decision.”

Janine seemed very happy and content with her mother’s words. In her August 13 interview, she said, “Edi masaya! Edi good,” regarding Lotlot’s statements.

The 34-year-old actress also took the liberty to put it out there that Lotlot likes Echo, and only has nice things to say about the actor. “Actually, nauna silang magkatrabaho, kasi yung scenes sa Atok, ‘yun ‘yung unang shinoot nila. Hindi ako kasama dun. So nauna mag-work si Mama and Echo. And she only had nice things to say about him. So at least, okay lahat,” Janine declared.

Yes, you read that right. Echo, Janine, and Lotlot are starring together in the upcoming Dreamscape Entertainment series, Lavender Fields. This is Echo’s comeback teleserye after Halik in 2018, while Janine just came from another Dreamscape series, Dirty Linen last 2023.

Janine shared that Lavender Fields is the project that made her step out of her comfort zone. It was something new to her, and there were a lot of times when he doubted herself in portraying her new role in the new series, Iris. Apparently, she is the villainess in the story!

“It’s something that I’ve really never done before. Malayo rin siya sa kung paano ako sa totoong buhay, nahirapan ako sa kung paano ko gaganapin ang role ni Iris,” she divulged. Despite the difficulties and doubts she had on herself, she did not think twice about accepting the project because of the show’s stellar cast.

“I’m just so excited kasi grabe yung cast, kaya grabe yung pasasalamat ko sa Dreamscape and ABS-CBN,” Janine concluded.