1990s TV host Huang Yuling now counselling prisoners: 'Hosting is no longer on my mind'

Being in showbiz may be a dream for some, but this former host has no intention of making a return.

Huang Yuling was a popular face here in the 1990s, hosting matchmaking reality show The Perfect Match alongside Zhu Yongqin, but it has been 23 years since she left the entertainment industry.

While she is moved that viewers remember her fondly, the 59-year-old told Shin Min Daily News in a recent interview that she could not find a good reason to return to showbiz.

"I have already left the showbiz runway, and hosting is no longer on my mind," she told the Chinese daily. "Secondly, my life is very busy currently and I wouldn't have enough time [to return].

"Besides, I also feel that I am old and my physical strength is not as good as before."

So what is the former actress-host busy with nowadays?

While she was once a matchmaker on TV, she is currently working as a psychotherapist and senior counsellor in marriage counselling.

On top of that, Shin Min reported that Yuling is also counselling prisoners.

"In the past, I would visit them once a week, but now it has increased to two days. If necessary, I am willing to go in more, understand their life stories and draw out their inner strength," she said.

Yuling believes that counsellors should have a "deeper understanding" of the issues faced by prisoners and open up their hearts to them, so that they can aid them in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

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The Singapore Prison Service announced that, in 2022, the two-year recidivism rate for former prisoners was 20.4 per cent, while the five-year recidivism rate was 39.9 per cent.

She explained: "Some prisoners have long sentences. When they are released from prison, they might have lost their parents, friends and jobs, and become homeless.

"Therefore, how they view themselves is the most important thing. If their mentality does not change, they will easily fall into anxiety and even show symptoms of depression."

While gaining a deeper understanding of prisoners, Yuling added that she has opened her own heart and become "more tolerant".

While Yuling has different priorities in life now, she said she would consider returning to showbiz in specific situations.

"If it's an event for public benefit, is influential to society and invites the audience's introspection, or a meaningful commemorative event that gathers old hosts, I would still consider it," she said.

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drimac@asiaone.com