It has been "ages" since local veteran actress Chen Xiuhuan took the public bus.

In an Instagram Story posted yesterday (Nov 9), the ageless 55-year-old captioned a picture of herself on a public bus, saying: "Haven't taken a bus in ages!"

She added to AsiaOne over the phone this morning: "I have been driving (a car) since I was 18, so I have not taken the bus all these years."

Xiuhuan also explained that she can explore Singapore more freely now without having to worry about people recognising her in public.

"With everyone wearing masks and with my cap on, no one can tell that it's me."

While she hardly takes any public transportation, her recent bus journey happened because she was looking for a place to have lunch after hiking from MacRitchie Reservoir to Bukit Timah Hill with veteran actress Zoe Tay and another friend.

Xiuhuan is also not the only local celebrity enjoying the anonymity that comes with compulsory mask-wearing. In August, actors Ya Hui and Desmond Tan also posted on Instagram their public bus journeys, noting how empty and quiet the bus rides were and how much they enjoy falling into a mindless daze during the ride.

As celebrities are usually recognised and gawked at, it must be nice for them to be just an average person on the street for a short while. 

ALSO READ: Jay Chou dresses family up as the Addams Family while Chen Xiuhuan is a pineapple — and other celebrities during Halloween

trining@asiaone.com

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