Parents all want their children to marry someone they think is the best , and for former Mediacorp actress Evelyn Tan, that person was not Darren Lim.
In a recent episode of Mediacorp reality travel show Camping Around the World, the couple looked back on the early days of their relationship.
Darren, 52, and Evelyn, 50, got married in 2004 and they have four kids — daughter Kristen, 19, and sons Jairus, 17, Way, 15, and Elliott, 11.
According to Darren, everyone around Evelyn disapproved of their relationship, especially her parents.
“I remember there was one night, I had sent Evelyn home and her dad chased me out of the house. He told me: ‘Don’t let me see you again’,” recalled Darren.
He started crying the moment her dad slammed the door shut.
In a separate interview with Shin Min Daily News, Darren admitted he felt very dejected at that time, and was afraid that he would lose Evelyn.
“I knew everything her parents said carried weight, and I was also aware I was really not on the same level as her,” admitted Darren.
There was a person who even straight up asked Darren: “What makes you think you deserve [Evelyn]?” It really affected him.
Darren said Evelyn’s parents barely knew him at that time. They had judged him based on the characters he played, which unfortunately happened to be flirty playboys.
“They thought that I was sloppy and unreliable, plus there was a huge gap in our education levels. Evelyn is a university graduate but I didn’t make it past secondary school,” he said.
Darren shared that he could understand why the parents of Evelyn, who went to the National University of Singapore, wanted her to marry someone with greater prospects. It also motivated him to work harder and treat her right.
“In the past two decades, her parents got to know the real me and have fully accepted me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Evelyn recalled she had already taken a liking to Darren at that time.
Unlike those who assumed Darren was a flirt, Evelyn saw him more like a lovable child and someone she would want to be friends with.
After spending some time together, she also felt Darren had a mature side to him and that was attractive to her.
“We had the same values, so I believed that my dad would like him and be moved by his sincerity,” she shared. “Since this was what I wanted, I had to give it a shot.”
However, the remarks from her friends and family about Darren did make Evelyn more cautious.
“They must have had their reasons to object our relationship, so I had to observe Darren more closely. That was also why we only got married after dating for six years,” she said.
Darren, on the other hand, was sure Evelyn was the right one for him the moment he laid his eyes on her.
“We were working together on a musical [Beauty World in 1998], and I was first entranced by her voice. I also thought that she was amazing and admired how gentle, thoughtful and kind she was,” he said.
Evelyn later disclosed that Darren was so enamoured with her, he proposed to her not long after they got together.
“At that time I just took it like he was joking,” she laughed.