Chen Xiuhuan’s back in the game and running for her second Most Popular Female Artiste award after, well, 25 years. Back in '94, Xiuhuan was named one of the Top 5 Most Popular Female Artistes (only in '97 did they expand the category to Top 10) but a year later, she would quit showbiz to get married to her Taiwanese businessman then-boyfriend, whom she wants only to be known as Mr Tsai. Here's the thing: If she had continued acting, chances are, the former Ch 8 star, who was undoubtedly one of Singapore's most popular actresses then, would have most likely ascended the All-Time Favourite Artiste pantheon by now.

But was it all worth it? You bet it was.

“At that time, I chose my family and that was it. No regrets,” revealed the 54-year-old, who is now working with Mediacorp on an ad hoc basis. We would have no regrets too, if our kids came out as lovely as her three daughters, Shannise, 21, Shalynn, 19, who is an upcoming actress managed by celeb crimper Addy Lee's Starlist agency, and Shavinne, 14.

It’s no surprise that the Tsais are a close-knit bunch, seeing how Xiuhuan and Shalynn are always posting about how much love they have for each other on Instagram. In fact, Shalynn was in the car with Xiuhuan when she received the news of her nomination, and it was her daughter who encouraged the initially very apprehensive Xiuhuan to attend the press con the next day.

And because it’s Xiuhuan’s return to the Star Awards after a quarter of a century (can you imagine that!), we decided to ask her some #throwback questions on the very first Awards in 1994. And maybe it's 'cos actresses are supposed to be good at memorising stuff, Xiuhuan has an almost photographic memory of the details of the first Star Awards. She even remembers the snail mail voting process that her supporters (aka her mum and dad) had to go through in order to vote for her.

My dad would have been very happy to know about my nomination today, if he was still around, says Xiuhuan. Her father had passed away two years ago at 82 from dementia — a loss that she is still hurting from. “I didn’t realise how much my dad loved me until I discovered all the laminated articles written about me that he had kept throughout the years. she tells us.

8 DAYS: It's going to be your first Star Awards after 25 years, so are you doing anything special to prep yourself for the big day?
CHEN XIUHUAN: Not at all! (Laughs) I’ve been busy moving house, so I haven’t really thought about exercising! (Laughs) But of course, I’ll be going for facials. It’s a must! Dieting as well lah. I’ve gained 3kg since Chinese New Year, so I was really fat at the [Top 40] press con! (Laughs) They called me to attend it at the last minute, so I was a little apprehensive about appearing. I better lose the 3kg before the show! (Laughs)

Where were you when you found out your nomination?
I was driving with my second daughter, Shalynn [Tsai], when I received a call from Mediacorp. I was very shocked as I wasn’t expecting it. I had my phone on speaker and we heard the news together. Because it was so sudden, I was unprepared and contemplated not attending the press con. However, Shalynn gave me a thumbs up and asked me to go! So I went. She was also the one who told my entire family about the news when we got home. All my girls were very supportive, saying that they were proud of me. I felt very touched because I’m usually the one who encourages them during their exams, so now I feel like I’m one the who’s gotten good grades! (Laughs) They made me feel like I’ve finally achieved a bit of something.

Have you been watching the Star Awards for the past two decades?
I would usually watch the red carpet 'cos I love to see the dresses, fashion and make-up. After that, I would leave the TV on during the actual show, and then go and do my own things. (Laughs)

If you didn't quit, there's a high chance you would have made the All-Time Favourite Artistes list by now. Any regrets?
No regrets at all! There are always sacrifices to be made, and I believe that I’ve achieved a lot in my personal life. I have three daughters and a happy family now, so it’s worth it. Now that I’m involved in the Star Awards again, it feels like I’ve picked up from where I left off in 1995. That's the year I withdrew from the Top 10 Most Popular Artiste nomination and the Best Actress category to get married.

Why didn't you think about balancing both family and work?
No lah, I think me leaving the industry for my family is the only right thing to do. My husband deserves to have someone who can run the household and be a good mother and housewife. Because I decided to get married to him, I think I should do my best for him. And because of that, I decided to leave the job I loved the most.

When you were told there there was going to be a televised awards ceremony for local stars in 1994, what was your reaction?
Before the first Star Awards, we already had our own internal awards for three years, so the 1994 Star Awards to us was simply the same thing but with a change in the name only. (Laughs) Even though the internal awards weren't shown on TV, there were still voting forms you could submit via the mail!

How stoked were you about the awards being shown on TV?
I was very excited because my idol Chow Yun Fat was giving out the awards and I really wanted to see him! (Laughs) I wasn’t expecting to win and my name was announced last for the Top 5! I remember that I was just so nervous! (Laughs)

Because only five actresses could win the award then, competition was a lot stiffer. Were you under a lot of pressure to get into the Top 5?
Yeah, it was more jialat last time. The pressure was huge but in the end, I managed to snag the award so it was fine. (Laughs) But my kids and husband say that the fact that I even got a nomination this year is a blessing. (Laughs)

What do you think about the Most Popular list expanding from five for each gender to 10?
(Laughs) It was definitely tougher to get in last time. Now with that and the acting awards, the chances of winning are much higher. There’s still pressure but I’m glad that there are more opportunities for our actors to get recognition for their work these days.

What do you remember of your speech in 1994?
(Pauses) Wow. Hmm… I don’t think I named names but I thanked the people who took care of me when I was injured during that period.

You were injured?
Prior to the Star Awards, I tore my ligament during the filming of The Young Ones. I had been in the hospital and could only be ferried around in a wheelchair. I also walked with crutches until the day of the awards. But I told myself that I was going to walk by myself without any help. Until now, I still remember the pain when I walked down the red carpet.

Did you make any special requests about your outfit then 'cos of your injury?
I remember I wore all black. Black pants, top and shoes because I wanted to just be comfortable. Even though I like to dress up and look pretty, I knew that with my injuries, wearing a tight dress and heels were out of the question. In fact, back then we didn’t get to pick and choose our own stylists like celebs do now. We could only depend on our in-house stylist and just go with whatever they gave us. Only I made a bit of request. Anyway, I was in pain so I had no mood to dress up and look chio lah. (Laughs)

How many outfits did you try on before deciding on what you eventually wore?
I only tried that one piece and was okay with it right away.

Previously, fans could only vote for their idols by filling in the official Star Awards voting forms and sending them through snail mail. Did you send in any for yourself?
I didn’t actually vote for myself but my family did. I remember my parents being more nervous than I was. My mum and dad bought a lot of magazines and had painstakingly cut, stamped and sent in their votes for me. Previously it was troublesome lah. In fact, I’ve never thought about voting for myself until I read Carrie [Wong]’s interview somewhere, and it made me realise that, “Hey, I haven’t been voting for myself!” So I got my sis to teach me how to vote! (Laughs)

Do you think the stars have it easier now because of the amount of help they get?
It used to be harder on us because we had no personal assistants to deal with the other stuff regarding filming. It would have been good if we could just concentrate on acting. The schedules were crazy then too, and overnight shoots without sleep were common. Back then we had to do everything ourselves.

Star Awards 2019 Walk of Fame airs on Apr 14, 5.30pm on Ch 8, Ch U and Toggle.
Star Awards 2019 airs on Apr 14, 7pm on Ch 8, Ch U and Toggle.

PICS: KEVIN LAU