RUFFA Gutierrez knows her daughters Lorin and Venice need a father figure, but she says she?s not ready for a new relationship.

?I don?t want to be with someone just so the girls will have a daddy. I think one of these days I will sit down and talk with them, make them understand our situation,? Ruffa tells Inquirer Entertainment. ?I?ve not explained to them why their parents are not living in the same house.?

In 2007, Ruffa ended her four-year marriage to Turkish businessman Yilmaz Bektas. She had a short-lived affair with actor John Lloyd Cruz in 2009. The actress-TV host insists she?s currently single and denies going out on dates.

Just hanging out

?I have a lot of guy friends that I hang out with. If there?s someone special, I will not hide him,? she says. ?Everyone is in search of the one true love that will make them happy. [But] if a relationship is not worth it, I?d rather be single.?

She?s proud to say that she?s doing well as a single mom. ?That?s because Lorin and Venice are really good kids. We?re lucky for the father figures in the house, like their Lolo Elvis (Eddie Gutierrez, her dad) and their uncles, although of course the girls know these are relatives, not their real dad.?

Ruffa is also glad to have patched things up with Kris Aquino. The two had a rift in 2009, shortly before Ruffa, who used to cohost ABS-CBN?s ?The Buzz? with Aquino and Boy Abunda, left the show and moved to TV5.

?We were, I think, both very emotional at the time. I was about to leave my home network, so I was depressed. I didn?t know she was also going through a difficult time?she and James (Yap) weren?t talking,? Ruffa recalls.

Ruffa, Kris, comedian Ai Ai de las Alas and actor Dingdong Dantes were the emcees of the concert on the last day of the recent celebration of the Edsa People Power Revolution?s 25th anniversary. Ruffa is thankful to singer Ogie Alcasid, who organized the event.

Friends again

?I said yes immediately,? says Ruffa. ?It was good to work with Kris again. Before the event, we bumped into each other twice?first in a bar, then at the Taylor Swift concert. There?s no reason not to end the rift.?

Ruffa is in the cast of TV5?s new teleserye, ?Mga Nagbabagang Bulaklak,? directed by Jon Red and premiering March 21.

She describes her character, Ms. O, as ?a mix of Meryl Streep?s character in ?The Devil Wears Prada,? Brooke Shields in ?Lipstick Jungle? and Lucy Liu in ?Cashmere Mafia.??

Ms. O?s only weakness, the actress says, is her husband, Mr. A (Richard Gomez), a womanizer. Ruffa says, ?My character is not like Annabelle Rama (her mom). ?Di ako nanunugod. I befriend all of my husband?s mistresses until I get my revenge.?