Gretchen Castelo Barretto (Tagalog:[ˈgɾɛtʃɛnbaˈrɛto]; born March 6, 1970) is a Filipino former actress and socialite. She was launched inRegal Films'14 Going on Steady as a singer-actress, with the release of her debut single "Going Steady", which served as the soundtrack single to her debut film. In the late eighties, Barretto rose to prominence after gaining success inskin flicks produced bySeiko Films likeTukso, Layuan Mo Ako!,Ang Bukas Ay Akin,Ama, Bakit Mo Ako Pinabayaan?,Lumayo Ka Man Sa Akin andBakit Ako Mahihiya?. She has released two studio albums underStar Records. Her debut album,Unexpected, was released in 2008, and her second albumComplicated was released a year after. Her two younger sisters,Marjorie andClaudine, and nieceJulia are also actresses. She has been a contract star ofABS-CBN since 2010.

Barretto was launched as one of the newestRegal Babies together with former child actressJanice de Belen and upcoming actressNadia Montenegro. Barretto released her debut single entitled "Going Steady", which was also the official theme song of the movie14 Going on Steady in which she top-billed along with de Belen and Montenegro.^[1] The single was critically panned but became a radio hit in the Philippines. Rumors swirled about the rift between Barretto and de Belen about who should have sung the soundtrack single.^[2] In the aforementioned film, Barretto was chosen to record the song, while de Belen got more screen time dancing to the song as shown in the movie credits.^[3] Barretto continued to star in films likeAng Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang,Paalam, Bukas ang Kasal Ko,Life Begins at 40 andGoat Buster. Despite being launched as a singer-actress, Barretto never got the chance to record a studio album due to the annual movies lined up for her. She soon dropped out of high school to fully concentrate on her acting career.^[4]

In 1988, Barretto was signed by Robbie Tan to become a contract star ofSeiko Films. In 1989, Barretto's image was revamped from being a teenybopper actress to a full-fledged sex siren. She appeared in several films likeAng Lihim Ng Golden Buddha,Ipaglalaban Ko,Tukso, Layuan Mo Ako!,Ama, Bakit Mo Ako Pinabayaan andPaminsan-Minsan. Due to the string of successfulsoftcore films she starred in, Barretto, along with actressesRita Avila,Cristina Gonzales and Rina Reyes, were tagged as the "ST Queens" (which stands for "sex trip") since they were among the most popular softcore actresses in Philippine cinema at that time.

In 1992, while shooting the movieAko Ang Katarungan, Barretto was involved in a highly controversial relationship with married actorBong Revilla whom she had an affair with for four months.^[5] Barretto moved back to her home studioRegal Films in that same year. Some of her biggest films includedBakit Ako Mahihiya? andKailangan Kita in which she was paired oppositeGabby Concepcion, all of which were produced by Regal Films. In 1994, Barretto embarked on a hosting career. She joinedBoy Abunda in the late night talk showShow & Tell. It was in that same year that she ended her contract with Seiko Films in an attempt to make her image more wholesome and commercial to the public. Barretto leftShow & Tell after she became pregnant with Tonyboy Cojuangco's love child. She was replaced in the show by another sexpot in Anjanette Abayari. The show was canceled in less than a year, after poor ratings.

In 1993 Barretto was linked to theBrunei beauties affair.^[6]

In June 1994, Barretto stood as the whistleblower to thescandal in the Manila Film Festival (not to be mistaken with theMetro Manila Film Festival which is held every December).^[7] In that said event, Barretto presented the award for Best Actress alongsideMiss Universe Mauritius beauty queenViveka Babajee and actorRocky Gutierrez, where both announced actressRuffa Gutierrez as the recipient of the award when it wasAiko Melendez who actually won the award.^[8][9] Rocky Gutierrez was caught on camera slipping the envelope with the winner's name in his pocket while Babajee was heard uttering the words "Take it! Take it!" while handing the award to Ruffa Gutierrez.^[10] The same incident happened to the announcement of the winner of Best Actor in which Ruffa Gutierrez and actressNanette Medved declared Gabby Concepcion as the winner, when it was actorEdu Manzano who was the real recipient of the award. Barretto revealed that it was Concepcion's agent,Lolit Solis and Gutierrez' mother,Annabelle Rama (who was also Babajee's talent agent) who masterminded the apparent fraud, and she also told reporters that Solis promised her a Best Actress win, a year later if she kept quiet about this plan.^[11] Solis pleaded guilty to the offense of orchestrating the hoax, while siblings Ruffa and Rocky Gutierrez, Medved and Babajee were all charged withestafa.^[12][13]

A year later, Barretto got pregnant and gave birth to a daughter named Dominique. She also went public in announcing her relationship with billionaire business tycoon Antonio "Tony" Cojuangco Jr., a man twenty years her senior. Cojuangco admitted to being the father of Barretto's daughter.^[14] Barretto took a hiatus in showbiz to concentrate on her life as a mother, and partner to Cojuangco.

Throughout the late nineties, Barretto co-hosted the variety showASAP inABS-CBN but her serious comeback to acting began in a special portrayal in the drama seriesSa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan top-billed by sister Claudine Barretto in 2001. Barretto revealed that it was her sister Claudine who convinced her to return to acting after a long break from being away from the spotlight. In 2001, Barretto appeared with sisters Marjorie and Claudine inPrivate Conversations with Boy Abunda which became her first public interview together with her siblings. In 2006, Barretto and actressDawn Zulueta engaged in heated exchange of insults after it was reported that the latter did not approve of theprima donna behavior displayed by the former during aPantene shampoo commercial they made along with actresses Ruffa Gutierrez andAngel Aquino.^[15] Both actresses revealed that they were not in good terms with each other in separate interviews.^[16] Several months after the said incident, Zulueta told reporters that they have finally settled this issue in private.^[17] Later that year, Barretto finally accepted the lead role in theMetro Manila Film Festival entryMatakot Ka sa Karma released byCanary Films in December 2006.Matakot Ka Sa Karma became Barretto's first film since 1995'sTirad Pass: The Last Stand of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and she received huge buzz regarding her movie comeback.^[18] Barretto was a no-show in theMetro Manila Film Festival Awards Ceremony as well as in the Parade of Stars several days prior to the event.^[19] The movie opened to modest reviews and placed fourth in the box office.^[20] Barretto was also set to reunite with former flameBong Revilla in the movieKapag Tumibok Ang Puso: Not Once, But Twice but backed out after a supposed feud arose between her and Revilla's wifeLani Mercado, during the film's pre-production.^[21][22] In 2007, a photo of Barretto kissing actorJohn Estrada circulated and went viral causing controversy in the showbiz industry.^[23] Both Barretto and Estrada denied having an affair or relationship.

In 2008, Barretto released her debut albumUnexpected to signal the launch of her music career. She released the single "Please Don't Ask Me" in support of the album. She promotedUnexpected through a series of mall shows around the country. In that same year, Barretto returned to acting through an episode ofMaalaala Mo Kaya where she played a mistress of a politician, oppositePhillip Salvador andTonton Gutierrez.^[24] It was in this drama anthology that Barretto finally won her first acting award, PMPC Star Awards for TV's Best Single Performance by an Actress. A year later, she released her second album entitledComplicated and released the single "Ready to Take a Chance Again". Barretto was once again involved in a controversial relationship with Rodolfo "Dody" Puno, the Executive Director of the Road Board of theDepartment of Public Works and Highways.^[25] Rumors broke out that both Barretto and singerPops Fernandez were receiving commission from the funds of the Department of Public Works and Highways, as allotted by Puno himself.^[26]

In 2010, Barretto returned to do another episode inMaalaala Mo Kaya portraying a widow who falls in love with a parish priest, which was portrayed byJomari Yllana.^[27] Barretto again won another the award for Best Single Performance by an Actress in the PMPC Star Awards for Television, marking her second win in this category. Barretto embarked in her biggest television project in 2010 with the drama seriesMagkaribal, which originally featured Barretto opposite sister Claudine, however, the latter moved to rival networkGMA during the show's pre-production.Magkaribal starred Barretto alongside actressBea Alonzo (who became Claudine's replacement), Angel Aquino and model-actorDerek Ramsay. In that same year,Bench launched Barretto's first perfume line calledGreta.^[28] Barretto won the award for Best Drama Actress in the PMPC Star Awards for Television forMagkaribal a year later. After the success of the show, Barretto was slated to star inAlta, a drama series about high society and the mining industry, withKC Concepcion andAngelica Panganiban, but the show was shelved in 2012.^[29] It was because of the cancellation ofAlta that she was offered the role of Ashi Behati inPrincess and I in which she portrayed the main villain to the lead starsKathryn Bernardo andDaniel Padilla.^[30] In 2013, Barretto joined the cast ofHuwag Ka Lang Mawawala at the request of the show's lead actress,Judy Ann Santos.^[31] Two months later, Barretto debuted in her firstCinemalaya movie entry entitledThe Diplomat Hotel.^[32]

Barretto is the fifth out of seven children by Miguel Alvir Barretto and Estrella Castelo Barretto.^[33] Her two younger siblingsMarjorie Barretto,Claudine Barretto, and nieceJulia Barretto are also actresses. Barretto has a daughter, Dominique with common-law partner and businessman Antonio "Tony Boy" Cojuangco Jr.^[25] She graduatedmagna cum laude atFashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and atIstituto Marangoni. Domnique married Michael Hearn on March 4, 2023 atSan Agustin Church inIntramuros. The couple announced the name of their baby "Penelope Eloise."^[34][35]

• Unexpected (2008)
• Complicated (2009)

• Gretchen Barretto atIMDb

• 1970 births
• Living people
• 21st-century Filipino actresses
• Barretto family
• De La Salle University alumni
• Filipino child actresses
• Filipino film actresses
• Filipino television actresses
• Filipino television personalities
• GMA Network (company) people
• ABS-CBN people
• Star Magic
• Actresses from Manila
• Filipino people of Spanish descent

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