THE STRAITS TIMES
LIFESTYLE - ENTERTAINMENT
BY GWENDOLYN NG
Three celebrity couples have come to light at Mediacorp
Is someone spritzing pheromones in the air at Mediacorp?
Celebrities are falling in love left, right and centre, with three new star couples coming to light in the past year.
The new lovebirds are actors Jeffrey Xu and Felicia Chin; actor Shane Pow and actress-radio DJ Kimberly Wang; and actress Jesseca Liu and comedian Jeremy Chan.
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, The Sunday Times checks in with the new couples to find out more about their budding romances.
In contrast, the other two couples are more open about their affection for each other - to a certain extent.
LIFESTYLE - ENTERTAINMENT
BY GWENDOLYN NG
Three celebrity couples have come to light at Mediacorp
Is someone spritzing pheromones in the air at Mediacorp?
Celebrities are falling in love left, right and centre, with three new star couples coming to light in the past year.
The new lovebirds are actors Jeffrey Xu and Felicia Chin; actor Shane Pow and actress-radio DJ Kimberly Wang; and actress Jesseca Liu and comedian Jeremy Chan.
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, The Sunday Times checks in with the new couples to find out more about their budding romances.
In contrast, the other two couples are more open about their affection for each other - to a certain extent.
Last year, Shanghai-born Xu, 28, and Singaporean Chin, 31, revealed that they were an item. But they had been dating for almost a year before that.
Both were winners of local talent hunt Star Search - she won in 2003 and he in 2010.
Between the two, Chin is the more established performer, often landing leading roles, such as those in upcoming Channel 8 drama Legal Eagles and online Mandarin series 2589 Days Apart.
Xu is still finding his footing in the entertainment industry. Last year, he made strides by winning his first popularity prize at the Star Awards and making his movie debut in local comedy Young And Fabulous (2016).
Chin and Xu got closer as friends on the set of period blockbuster The Journey: Our Homeland (2015), where they played mother and son. In between takes, they chatted about travel and books, and bonded over their Christian faith.
At some point, she gave him a book about travelling by Taiwanese singer Cheer Chen.
He says: "I was touched by the fact that she was listening intently to our conversation and remembered what I like."
Later, Chin recalls searching for Xu's name when she got hold of the filming schedule of the Channel 8 long-form drama Life - Fear Not (2015-2016), in which they played lovers.
"I realised that I had feelings for him when I got the rundown and would anticipate if his name was there," she says. "I was very happy when I saw his name."
He asked her to be his girlfriend on the way to the TV station at Caldecott Hill in December 2015. She agreed and they held hands for the first time.
On their decision to go public with the relationship much later, Chin says: "Once we announced it, people would start asking us questions. We wanted to strengthen our bond first. It's the same with every young relationship, it's no different just because we are actors."
Although both of them are serious about the relationship and usually date with the intention of marriage in mind, they say it is too early to speak of them walking down the aisle. "But who knows?" Xu laughs. "Maybe when I win a Best Actor award one day, I might propose to her on stage?"
SOURCE: THE STRAITS TIMES
Both were winners of local talent hunt Star Search - she won in 2003 and he in 2010.
Between the two, Chin is the more established performer, often landing leading roles, such as those in upcoming Channel 8 drama Legal Eagles and online Mandarin series 2589 Days Apart.
Xu is still finding his footing in the entertainment industry. Last year, he made strides by winning his first popularity prize at the Star Awards and making his movie debut in local comedy Young And Fabulous (2016).
Chin and Xu got closer as friends on the set of period blockbuster The Journey: Our Homeland (2015), where they played mother and son. In between takes, they chatted about travel and books, and bonded over their Christian faith.
At some point, she gave him a book about travelling by Taiwanese singer Cheer Chen.
He says: "I was touched by the fact that she was listening intently to our conversation and remembered what I like."
Later, Chin recalls searching for Xu's name when she got hold of the filming schedule of the Channel 8 long-form drama Life - Fear Not (2015-2016), in which they played lovers.
"I realised that I had feelings for him when I got the rundown and would anticipate if his name was there," she says. "I was very happy when I saw his name."
He asked her to be his girlfriend on the way to the TV station at Caldecott Hill in December 2015. She agreed and they held hands for the first time.
On their decision to go public with the relationship much later, Chin says: "Once we announced it, people would start asking us questions. We wanted to strengthen our bond first. It's the same with every young relationship, it's no different just because we are actors."
Although both of them are serious about the relationship and usually date with the intention of marriage in mind, they say it is too early to speak of them walking down the aisle. "But who knows?" Xu laughs. "Maybe when I win a Best Actor award one day, I might propose to her on stage?"
SOURCE: THE STRAITS TIMES