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Sometimes the best way to grow up fast is to live overseas on your own.
When we spoke to Mediacorp actress Ye Jia Yun, 21, last September, she was a bag of nerves talking about her first international modelling gig at Milan Fashion Week?
More than three months has passed, and we’re speaking to the 1.8m-tall Star Search 2019 second runner-up again.
She is finally back in Singapore, this time armed with newfound confidence.
For her previous interview with 8days.sg, she was accompanied by not one, but two managers, both of whom listened intently to our phone call with the nervous young actress.
This time, Jia Yun is expressive and self-assured and she is without any “supervision” from her managers.
We guess being alone in Milan for three months has helped Jia Yun gain a new level of independence and maturity?
After all, she did say her biggest takeaway from her trip was “getting to learn a lot” about herself.
“I learned how I work under stress, how to overcome it and how to stay motivated,” recalled Jiayun, who admitted that the long waiting times during casting sessions had made her feel sluggish.
“When that happens, I should maybe go for a walk, or go somewhere to refresh my mind, like maybe a weekend trip out of town?” she added.
That said, Jia Yun acknowledged that the jitters from walking on an international runway is not something one can easily overcome.
“I definitely still feel a bit nervous because it is in front of a live audience and I do not want to trip,” she laughed.
It didn’t help that that almost happened.
“I actually almost tripped but I didn’t let it show. The second runway show I did, we had three looks per person. It was a mad rush backstage so I think my shoes weren’t buckled properly.”
“When I was walking out, I kinda tripped ‘cos I was wearing heels on a marbled floor and it was a little bit slippery. But I had to keep a calm face and not let it show. Thank God I did not fall,” chuckled Jia Yun.