More than a year after being entangled in a text scandal with actor Rob Gomez, Herlene Budol has opened up about seeking professional help to cope with the emotional toll of the controversy.
The issue began when screenshots of alleged intimate conversations between Budol and Gomez surfaced on Gomez’s Instagram in December 2023. The two were co-stars in the GMA series “Magandang Dilag.” At the time, Gomez was in a relationship with beauty queen Shaila Rebortera. Gomez later claimed that he wasn’t responsible for posting the screenshots and denied any romantic involvement with Budol.
Seeking Help to Cope
Speaking at the media conference for her upcoming drama “Binibining Marikit,” Budol revealed that she turned to a psychiatrist for support during the height of the scandal.
“Ever since pumutok po ‘yung issue na ‘yun, sabi ko, ‘ah okay.’ Kasi hindi naman ‘yun mawawala. Nagpa-doktor… nagpa-psychiatrist na po ako para mas ma-process ko siya nang maayos,” Budol shared. (I asked the help of a doctor, a psychiatrist, to process everything properly.)
She explained that professional help allowed her to better understand the hurtful remarks directed at her and to work through the emotional challenges that followed.
“Nagpa-help po ako para mas matanggap ko ‘yung sinasabi sa’kin ng mga tao. Mabigat po ang paratang sa’kin. Mahirap ang naging sitwasyon ko n’un. Ang hirap mag-move on sa ganu’ng sitwasyon. Alam naman po ng Panginoon kung ano ang tama at mali,” she said. (It was tough to move on from that situation, but I’ve since moved on. The Lord knows what is right and wrong.)
Feeling Unsupported
While Budol did not directly mention Gomez during the interview, she expressed feeling unsupported by her former co-star at the height of the scandal.
“Hindi maiiwasan na ma-in love sa ka-partner kaya parang ayokong magsalita nang tapos. Pero ayoko rin po maulit ‘yung trauma na naibigay sa akin ng last co-actor ko. Ang bigat na parang hindi niya ako naipagtanggol,” Budol revealed. (I don’t want to go through the same trauma where I wasn’t defended by my co-actor.)
New Beginnings with ‘Binibining Marikit’
Budol expressed gratitude for her leading men in “Binibining Marikit,” Tony Labrusca and Kevin Dasom, whom she described as “gentlemen.”
“Pero dito po sa ‘Binibining Marikit,’ nakikita ko na sa kanilang dalawa, with or without issue, ipagtatanggol po nila ako dahil sobrang gentleman [nila]. Sobrang blessed po ako na sila ‘yung kapartner ko,” Budol said. (With or without issues, they will stand up for me. I feel blessed to have them as my co-stars.)
The upcoming drama also stars Pokwang, Cris Villanueva, Almira Muhlach, and Thea Tolentino.