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Less male attention for blonde Ya Hui

SINGAPORE — They say blondes have more fun, but that wasn’t quite the case for Ya Hui when she went platinum for her role as a fashionista in the upcoming Mediacorp TV Channel 8 drama, House Of Fortune.

SINGAPORE — They say blondes have more fun, but that wasn’t quite the case for Ya Hui when she went platinum for her role as a fashionista in the upcoming Mediacorp TV Channel 8 drama, House Of Fortune.

Also starring Tong Bing Yu, Kym Ng, Thomas Ong, Xiang Yun, Zhu Hou Ren, Shane Pow and Sora Ma, House Of Fortune is this year’s festive drama meant to get you into the spirit of Chinese New Year. It is about a family who thinks their money troubles will be solved with the appearance of a potentially rich relative.

To set Ya Hui apart from the plain Jane she played in 118, her tresses were lightened, giving her a more “updated” look.

“I felt very K-pop when I had blonde hair,” said the actress, who only just changed her hair colour back to a more muted brown on Monday.

“I got more attention when I was blonde,” she laughed. “Wherever I went — to the market or the hawker centre — people would spot me immediately. People just naturally look at you when you have different coloured hair. Then they think, ‘So familiar — who is that?’ So, more people took notice of me.”

The important question, though, is: Did boys take more notice of her? “No,” she mused. “I think they prefer more down-to-earth girls. People would think, ‘You must surely be a party girl’ — but I’m not. I stay at home. Maybe blonde is too loud for most guys,” she said, adding that she got asked out more often when she had jet-black hair.

“Weird, right? They prefer good girls, not ‘havoc’ girls.”

Shane Pow, who plays her boyfriend in the show, confirmed that actually, gentlemen don’t prefer blondes. “Personally, I prefer brunettes, lah — that’s why I don’t have a thing for her,” he laughed. “I cannot handle the blondeness ... She’d say funny things without thinking them through.”

So, in fact, there’s just one main thing Ya Hui misses about her peroxide coif: Being able to leave the house without wearing makeup or styling her hair. “You can just tie your hair up and you look chic and fashionable.”

Catch House Of Fortune starting Jan 19, weekdays at 9pm on Mediacorp TV Channel 8. MAY SEAH

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