'My closest friends of 25 years': Ex-MTV Asia VJs Belinda Lee, Utt Panichkul and Donita Rose fuel nostalgia with reunion

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and this 25-year friendship is proving it right.

Local host-actress Belinda Lee, who began her showbiz career as an MTV Asia video jockey (VJ) in 1998, took to Instagram on Saturday (Dec 30) to share her recent reunion with fellow former VJs Utt (Uttsada Panichkul) and Donita Rose in the US.

"So grateful for the long overdue catch up with my closest friends of 25 years! California was the perfect spot for this beautiful reunion," she wrote in the caption of the post, tagging Utt and Donita.

Belinda, 46, continued: "It was as if we picked up right where we left off, with the same deep connection we've always had… As we continue to grow in our own lives, I know our friendship will only get deeper and stronger."

While Utt, 50, left a few heart emojis on the post, Donita laughed over her husband, singer Felson Palad, making an appearance at the reunion.

"What a special day that was. And that surprise ending with Felson showing up at our meetup! How insane was that?" the 49-year-old commented.

The trio were all smiles and could be seen huddling in the photos.

Donita also posted about the sweet reunion two weeks ago, sharing a video the three took together.

"These guys were my onscreen colleagues for almost five years. They became some of my closest friends to date. What a joy it was to reminisce all the old times we had together," she said.

The reunion fuelled nostalgia in netizens, who took to the comments section to share about the "golden days" of the past.

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"MTV Asia was one of the best things that happened in the 90s," wrote one netizen.

"My favourite VJs! I loved you guys so much when I was 12," commented another.

"You three were my idols back in the day," one added.

Belinda switched to hosting and acting in the early 2000s and was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 2002 to 2016. She most recently hosted the three-episode documentary Our Heart of Care.

Donita migrated to the US in 2021 and has since been working as a corporate chef in Island Pacific Supermarket, a Filipino supermarket chain, while taking on occasional hosting gigs.

Utt, who's now back in Thailand, made headlines in 2012 when he became a monk for a year at a Buddhist monastery. He continues to act and host, recently starring as the lead in the 2023 Thai drama Shadow.

syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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