Phyllis Quek quit full-time acting at what some would consider the peak of her career.

Now, some 30 years after she’d first broke into showbiz, she has no regrets about that decision.

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao at a press event for her latest Mediacorp drama, Uniquely Ours, she couldn’t help but exclaim when reminded of the decades that have past: “Time goes by too quickly, it’s so scary!”

Phyllis, 52, had first captured the public’s eye as a Star Search contestant in 1995, where she placed third. The next year, she won for Best Newcomer at the Star Awards.

She’s perhaps best remembered for playing Bai Mudan in the 1998 period drama, Legend of the Eight Immortals, and as Yin Susu in the 2003 remake of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre series, which starred Alec Su and Gao Yuanyuan.

She had also famously landed a role opposite Aaron Kwok in the 2000 Hong Kong action flick, 2000 AD.

Quit showbiz for health reasons

In the Zaobao interview, Phyllis also revealed that she’d quit showbiz for health reasons.

“I decided to slow down and care more about my health,” said Phyllis, describing persistent issues with her digestive system which caused her to vomit and have diarrhoea.

“My skin was also easily sensitive,” she added.

In hindsight, she doesn’t regret the decision she’d made to step out of the limelight more than a decade ago.

“I don’t regret my past actions, every decision moves one towards new challenges and experiences,” she shared.

After leaving the entertainment industry, she worked in an aesthetic clinic for a period of time.

In 2012, she married Australian businessman David Cox following a whirlwind romance, which reportedly sparked off when the pair met at the 2011 Formula One Grand Prix event in Singapore.

Touched viewers still remember her

Despite the long hiatus, it seems viewers have not forgotten about the ageless beauty.

 “Once when I stepped out of my hotel in Europe I ran into some Chinese tourists. They recognised me and very enthusiastically asked to take a photo with me. I felt very touched as I’d not been in any productions for a long time and yet they remembered me,” Phyllis said.

According to host Quan Yi Fong in a 2022 episode of her talkshow, Hear U Out, Phyllis had also been voted as the female artiste viewers would most like to see make a showbiz comeback.

Incidentally, Xie Shaoguang was voted as the male actor audiences would most like to see on screen again, a wish that has since come true.

Before Uniquely Ours, Phyllis last appeared in the 2022 Mediacorp drama, Soul Detective, directed by Zheng Geping.

Phyllis does not deny that she occasionally catches herself thinking about what her career would be like now, had she not resigned.

“But then I’d think again, I didn’t make that decision, so there’s no point thinking about it!

“I’ve taken care of my health and also met my husband. I live a very stable and happy life now and I’m grateful,” she shared.

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candicecai@asiaone.com