WHEN you are young and thrust into the spotlight, it's easy to let fame get to your head.

Former child actor Shahrin Azhar knows this from experience.

And the 36-year-old, who had his first taste of fame at age 8 with the 1980s children's Malay series Aksi Mat Yoyo, believes that it was what led to him abusing his wife, Ms Roziah Aziz, 33, in the early years of their marriage.

Now a television producer, Shahrin had made this shocking confession last November when he launched his docu-drama on domestic violence.

The five half-hour episodes were shown over Suria last November.

Shahrin admitted that the violence resulted from his over-inflated ego - a remnant of his childhood fame.

He said: 'I was very egoistical, my wife can attest to that. And my abusing her stemmed from it.'

After all, at the height of his fame among the Malay community, Shahrin was the 'blue-eyed boy who could do no wrong'.

He said: 'Everybody wanted to be friends with me, I received a lot of favours.

'I was pretty spoilt because of supporters and foster siblings who lavished me with gifts. Whatever I wanted, I could get.'

He was used to getting his way and thinking it was always 'somebody else's fault'.

But it wasn't all because of the fame factor.

Shahrin said that environment played a part too.

For him, his parents' separation fuelled his downward spiral as it made him rebellious and bull-headed.

He stopped listening to advice, and 'was very selfish... and too proud to admit it.'

The behaviour spilled over to his adulthood and indirectly resulted in domestic violence.

In Shahrin's words, 'I hit the wall.'

With the help of a religious teacher, he reformed and got his life and marriage back on track five years ago.

His advice for Marcus Ng is: 'Face all your fears. It'd be hard to face the public but celebrities make mistakes too. You just have to move on.'

Unlike Shahrin, Michelle Chia - another child star - does not believe that fame at a young age can lead to trouble.

Normal Childhood

Michelle had entered showbiz at the tender age of 6, when she was cast in a commercial by a family friend.

She modelled and acted part-time during school holidays and at 15, she acted in the Vow Of Celibacy before entering acting for good after graduating from a polytechnic.

Michelle said: 'It doesn't mean that just because someone is a child star, things will go wrong for them when they grow up.

'People behave in their own way. There are others who get into trouble too, but they are not famous, so it doesn't become news.'

The 32-year-old credited her close-knit family for keeping her grounded.

'I had a very normal childhood, my friends just thought I had a cool holiday job.'

Even when she got recognised in the streets, Michelle never thought it was a big deal.

She said: 'Child stars were not very big then. It wasn't like people came up to me to take photos or ask for autographs.

'People just recognise you and treat you like what you are, a child.'

And as a former child star, Michelle now finds herself getting along very well with her younger co-stars.

She just finished filming Taste Of Love and got along famously with a 10-year-old child actress who played Chen Hanwei's daughter.

Michelle said: 'We'd go out for lunch every day, and we would share things like brownies and cakes.

'I guess I get along so well with them because I know what it's like, and understand their point of view.'

Actor Edmund Chen - whose two children with actress Xiang Yun are mini-celebs in their own right, having appeared in commercials with their famous parents - believes that fame can get to one's head at any age, not just child stars.

The 45-year-old laughingly cited the example of his 71-year-old mother who has appeared in Shop N Save ads with Xiang Yun and their 8-year-old daughter Yi Xin.

He said: 'Soon after the ads were out, my mother went out to buy a pair of shades for the first time in her life - it was a huge pair which covered 80per cent of her face.

'But after a while, she realised that not as many people stopped to sing 'sheng sheng sheng' (the ad slogan) to her anymore, so she stopped wearing them.'

Edmund added that his mother has since gotten over her short-lived popularity.

He said: 'You need a fine balance between reality and stardom.

'Once the fun is over, welcome to our world.'

While they are not worried about their kids getting wayward with fame, Edmund said they have turned down requests for their kids to appear in ads.

'They should be concentrating on what they should be doing at this age - studying. The few ads we do are just... to mark the kids' growth at different stages in their life.'

Envious

His 17-year-old son, Chen Xi - who has appeared in ads for a pesticide, and for a fast food restaurant with Edmund and Xiang Yun - admitted to The New Paper that he was secretly 'envious of the attention' his celebrity parents receive.

Chen Xi said: 'I'm interested in acting, but I'm afraid to (do it), because I know it's tough work.'

And he's not worried that he will ever get too big for his boots if fame does beckon one day.

He replied cheerfully: 'I know my dad will help me (stay grounded).'

Tough turning point to grow out of child roles

GROWING pains may be the reason why some child stars go wayward.

Child psychiatrist Brian Yeo told The New Paper that, for many of them, growing out of their child roles can be a tough turning point.

'Many child stars receive a certain degree of recognition at a young age and in some examples, it even take precedence over studies.

'Once they lose the fame, outgrow their child roles with no continuity in their acting career with adult roles, it can be hard to take.'

He cited Hollywood celeb Jodie Foster as an exception - a child star who managed to make that difficult transition from child star to fame in adulthood. It's the same case with child models, Dr Yeo added.

Adorable kids, whose grown-up looks are not in line with the image required by the adult modelling scene, will also suffer the same adjustment blues.