'Jobless' Ng Hui has no intention of returning to showbiz 10 years after leaving

Absence has not made Ng Hui's heart grow fonder of showbiz — in fact, she's got no plans on returning.

In a recent interview with Lianhe Zaobao, the 43-year-old former actress revealed: "I've got no special feelings of wanting to return to acting. So I guess I can't really consider myself having the acting bug?"

But Ng Hui also added that she's not against the thought either, and is willing to star in a show if the schedule and role is right for her.

She recently made a surprise guest appearance on the meWATCH talk show The Reunion as part of the cast of The Little Nyonya, leaving fellow guest Jeanette Aw in tears after meeting her for the first time in a decade.

Said Ng Hui: "I wanted to give them a surprise but the moment I stepped on set I unexpectedly ended up making them cry."

And it wasn't just the 43-year-old Jeanette who got sentimental — after part one of The Reunion's episode on The Little Nyonya was aired on Jan 17, Ng Hui also received an influx of messages on social media.

"They told me, 'It's rare to see you on TV, I've not seen you in a long time!', and so on," she told Zaobao reporters.

Ng Hui herself also shared her thoughts on meeting familiar faces again after 10 years away.

"They don't look any older, they're still young, there's hardly any difference compared to 10 years ago," she said.

'It's a long story'

Her departure from showbiz in 2012 isn't a decision that she had regrets about, she said.

"There were many factors for leaving. It's a long story," explained Ng Hui, who is single. 

"It was the timing. I wanted to do something else… and I also had other reasons, so I felt it was time for me to leave.

"Although I left the TV station, I didn't intend to say goodbye to showbiz but without me realising it, 10 years went by just like that."

In the last 10 years, Ng Hui also bumped into Aileen Tan and Zoe Tay while at a yoga centre and struck up a conversation with them.

Ng Hui is 'jobless'

When she appeared on The Reunion, Jeanette asked her what she's been doing since leaving the entertainment industry.

Ng Hui replied then that she was in the education sector and was working as a teacher.

However, when the Chinese daily contacted her more recently, Ng Hui revealed that was no longer the case as she stopped teaching in 2022. 

Joking that she is now "jobless", Ng Hui also said that she has plans to start a business.

"It's something to do with education and hopefully to do with nurturing talents in acting," she shared. "It's still a concept under planning."

ALSO READ: 'Makeup artist, standby!' Former actress Ng Hui appears in The Little Nyonya reunion, leaves Jeanette Aw crying

khooyihang@asiaone.com