Fans of ex-Mediacorp actress Phyllis Quek must be so glad to see the now 52-year-old slowly making her onscreen comeback.
The 1995 Star Search second runner-up, who was born in Malaysia, will celebrate her 30th year in showbiz next year.
In an interview with Chinese media zaobao.sg at the press conference for Phyllis’ new drama, Uniquely Ours, she opened up about why she quit showbiz at the peak of her career in 2012.
“Everything that I did back then, I don’t regret it. Whatever decisions you make will always lead you to different challenges and experiences,” said Phyllis, who plays Li Nanxing’s career-oriented ex-wife in Uniquely Ours.
She went on to share that she chose to halt her career and slow down her pace of life to focus on her health.
“I was having gastric problems and was constantly vomiting and having diarrhoea. I had easily sensitive skin too,” revealed the actress.
She does, however, ponder how much she would have achieved if she didn’t choose to quit showbiz then.
Phyllis, who left Mediacorp in 2001 to focus on her career in Taiwan and China, filmed her last drama, The Ultimate Winner, in 2011. Her first drama post-hiatus was Mediacorp series Legal Eagles, in 2017.
“That said, I didn’t choose to take that path, so there’s no point thinking about it! I decided to take care of my health and also got to meet my husband,” she mused.
Phyllis, who married Australian businessman David Cox, 63, in 2012, said she’s leading a “very stable and happy life now”, and is very thankful.
The actress, who’s known for playing Bai Mudan in 1998 Mediacorp period drama, Legend of the Eight Immortals, and Yin Susu in the 2003’s The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, still gets recognised by fans.
“Once, I stepped out of the hotel in Europe and bumped into some Chinese tourists. They recognised me the moment they saw me, and enthusiastically asked to take photos with me,” she recalled.
“I haven’t acted in so long, but they still remember me,” she gushed.
We mean, who could forget a star like Phyllis, right?