'A man followed me and even touched me': Chantalle Ng recalls harrowing encounter with fan

While her fan encounters are usually wholesome, this one was a distressing experience that Chantalle Ng won't be forgetting so soon.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao published on Monday (May 29), Chantalle shared a terrifying ordeal she went through because of a male fan.

The incident that happened over a year ago began when the 27-year-old actress was wandering around the Esplanade alone.

A male fan then started trailing her before asking for a picture together — harmless enough.

However, even after the photos were taken, the fan persisted in following her, asking for more photographs with Chantalle.

"His behaviour made me feel uncomfortable. I told him, 'We've already taken a lot of pictures, if you want to take more pictures, you can do it at a fan event another day,' but he still followed me."

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Feeling both unsafe and unwilling to let the fan follow her to her next destination, Chantalle suddenly recalled that Mandopop singer Tan Diya's cafe — Sanity — was nearby, so she attempted to seek refuge there.

The fan was still hot on her heels and pursued her to the cafe's entrance. Although the cafe was closed, some staff members were still present in the shop.

"I opened the door and asked if Diya was there, but she wasn't. However, they saw my anxious and fearful expression and that a man was following me — he even touched me and asked for photos," Chantalle said.

"They let me in right away, keeping the male fan out."

Although Chantalle was safe, the fan remained outside and didn't give up, continuing to wait at the entrance of the cafe, biding time for her to reappear.

In order to ensure her safety, Chantalle was escorted by one of the staff to her next destination, successfully escaping the fan.

She thanked the staff in the interview with the Chinese morning daily, expressing that she is "very grateful" to them for helping her.

Gone but not forgotten

The 37-year-old singer's cafe, however, will soon be shuttering, with the last day of operation currently on June 25, and Chantalle added that this news left her feeling down.

"Not only is it a refuge from the male fan, it's also my spiritual refuge.

"It's a pity that the cafe is going to close, but as Diya's friend, I believe she has other plans that are more aligned with what she wants, so I wish her well!"

She added: "Truthfully, fan encounters like this are few and far between, so this incident left a deep impression on me. My fans are like my friends, they are usually quite protective of me."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com