'The silliest incident ever': Desmond Tan breaks 'most useless body part' while catching pineapple tart container

After reaching for that snack, Desmond Tan didn't quite expect things to end with something in his finger going snap.

In an interview with AsiaOne for his new Mediacorp drama Strike Gold, Desmond revealed that the little finger on his right hand is in a bad state — so bad, in fact, that a splint is needed to help him recover.

"The silliest incident ever, and I broke the most useless body part in the entire human body," the 36-year-old began. "I was reading a script or working from home and in the afternoon I felt like I wanted to eat — I had some cravings."

True to the Lunar New Year spirit, Desmond reached for a container of pineapple tarts. The accident, which was in early December, occurred when he tried to put the container back.

"When I was returning that container to the counter table, it fell off and I tried to catch it, ramming my finger into the table.

"That's how I [turned my finger] into an S-shape," the local actor said.

Ironically, pineapple tarts also play a very important role in his new drama Strike Gold. 

Desmond plays Liu Guangming, who hopes to one day strike it rich and enter the echelons of the elite in society. He's raised by Grandma Dudu (Jin Yinji) after his parents die and has a brother Guanghui (Edwin Goh).

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Besides raising the children, however, Dudu also has a second occupation as a baker and makes pineapple tarts so delicious that many others out there are fighting to steal her secret recipe for their personal gain.

8 weeks to recover

Desmond's injury wasn't just a simple light bruise. The tip of his little finger, also known as the distal phalange, was bent at a 90-degree angle.

He further said: "I knew something was wrong because when I touched my finger, the entire finger was numb."

He then did some research on the subject matter and self-diagnosed his injury to be a case of "mallet finger", where the tip of a finger is bent due to damage to the tendon.

Desmond said he sustained his injuries on the weekend and couldn't find a specialist until Monday.

There, he received shocking news.

"It will take eight weeks for me to recover," Desmond said. "And I have to keep my finger straight in the splint for eight weeks. If I accidentally take the splint out and my finger bends again, I have to take it as 'day zero' again and it'll be another two more months."

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Also describing it as the "stupidest body part", Desmond said that his little finger "does nothing" in his life because he doesn't usually use it.

He added: "But if I don't treat it well, I will have a bad finger for the rest of my life."

Explaining the inconvenience, Desmond shared how he hasn't showered quite as much as he used to before, and that he's "just looking forward to the day he can remove the splint to shower and wash his hair" and "run his fingers through his hair".

At the moment, he's not allowed to get the splint wet.

Laughing resignedly, Desmond said: "Reminder to everyone, take care of yourself, don't injure the most useless finger of your body."

Strike Gold also stars Hong Huifang, Yvonne Lim, Yao Wenlong, and Jeffrey Xu and will premiere on Jan 16 on meWATCH and Channel 8 with following episodes on weekdays at 9pm.

ALSO READ: Desmond Tan seeks advice from fans after laptop and all cash stolen in Italy, gets victim-blamed

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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