By MJ Felipe

After almost a month-long hiatus from the spotlight, the very controversial Gretchen Barretto is back. During her taping for an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya, ABS-CBN.com caught up with Gretchen who was sporting a totally different look. Instead of her usual designer clothes, bags, and accessories, she had something a little more low profile.

Wearing a loose blouse and tapered skirt and her porcelain-fair skin brushed brown, Gretchen was playing the role of a woman married to man who’s down on his luck (portrayed by Ton Ton Gutierrez) and mostly depends on his mother. When the family gets into trouble, Gretchen’s character seeks help from the mayor of the province (played by Phillip Salvador) with whom she later falls in love.

It was a tough for La Greta to pull through every scene since she hasn't done acting for TV for the longest time. She revealed that her last MMK episode was roughly around 16 years ago and that Phillip was also her co-star then.

ABS-CBN.com also asked Gretchen about the rumors that have been surrounding her, like the credit card story. The story started when Gretchen and friends Pops Fernandez, Ruffa Gutierrez, Marjorie Barretto, and a non-showbiz girl had dinner at a restaurant in Dusit Hotel in Makati. Gretchen tried to pay the bill using her credit card, which was later declined.

It turns out that La Greta was a victim of a faulty card. "Na-magnet lang. Yun lang. Saka hindi lang naman isang beses nangyari sa akin. Pangatlong beses na, baka nagasgas sa wallet minsan."

According to reports, Gretchen asked the attendant to try swiping the card again, but to no avail. Rumors had it that Gretchen told the attendant, "I own the bank!" to make the point that her card could not have been possibly declined. When asked about this, Gretchen said, “Alam mo naman ang tao, kung ano na lang ang sinasabi. Sana nga. Sana nga sa akin."

While Gretchen was still puzzled over the card being declined, Ruffa joked and said, “Oh my God. Girl, did Tony cut your card?” Gretchen replied, "Siyempre ako, ‘Of course not' ng 'Of course not.' Pero habang nag-o-of course not ako, yung puso ko naririnig ko na nag-du-dug-dug na naku nga, baka totoo nga. Nung gabing yon, tinext ko si Tony ang sabi ko, ‘Did you cut my Visa card? Can you please tell me the truth if you cut my Visa card?’ Nahalata nila ninerbyos ako kasi yung boses ko tumataas na!" she candidly shared.

Tony Boy later arrived at the hotel only to have Gretchen reportedly scold him about what happened. Gretchen refused to talk about Tony Boy’s part in the issue since she wants people to respect his privacy.

Catch the complete and very controversial Gretchen Barretto interview on The Buzz, this Sunday, July 6 on ABS-CBN.