Allan Wu still looking for the One

Single for nearly two years, Singapore-based actor and host Allan Wu said that he will not rule out marriage and becoming a father again in the future.

But it is unlikely to happen anytime soon even though Wu, 42, is back in the dating game.

The US-born TV personality was married for nine years to former actress Wong Li-Lin until they split in June 2013. They have two children, a daughter Sage, 10, and a son, Jonas, nine.

"I'm dating, but it's casual, not to the extent where I say I'm getting serious with one person. It's more of a look and see thing right now, see what's on the horizon," Wu told The New Paper yesterday in an interview to promote his new reality show, Men in Kindergarten.

It airs every Tuesday at 8.30pm on E City (StarHub TV Channel 111/825).

When asked if he was any closer to finding The One, Wu said: "If I wanted to find them, it wouldn't be too hard..."

While he is not averse to dating somone from the industry, he will now consider someone with regular working hours and a stable career.

"Now that I am older, I enjoy my independence and own time. When they have their own career and life, we see each other when we want to," he reasoned.

Another change is his attitude in relationships.

"I'm a lot more practical and upfront now. I used to be ambiguous in communicating and sweep everything under the rug to see how things go, but now I'm more direct. It's something I've learnt with my previous relationship and with time," he said.

He seeks a great sense of humour and adventure as well as a love for travelling, but one trait ranks high above others for this father of two: an affinity with children.

And this was a trait he cultivated on the set of Men in Kindergarten.

IMMERSED

In the show, Wu and Ah Boys to Men star Wang Weiliang, 27, are immersed in a playgroup and kindergarten setting, where they take part in class activities and engage with children aged between 18 months and six years old.

They are also put in charge of helping the older children prepare for their graduation concert.

Being around children is second nature to Wu, but surprisingly, Wang had a thing or two to teach the experienced parent.

Wu praised Wang for his "amazing" ways around the children.

"For example, if a child was throwing a tantrum and being difficult, he would keep on trying to pacify and encourage the child to calm down," he said.

"I would try, but if the child was being stubborn and adamant, I would let them cry it all out. The more you try, the more upset they get and I get frustrated."

Unfortunately, Wu has driven some poor kids to tears.

This took place in a episode where they participated in "Korean Week" and Wu had to display some taekwon-do moves - chop a board into half while bellowing forcefully.

"The younger children started to freak out and cry, one after another. I was supposed to teach them about the Korean martial art form, but I think I ended up terrifying them," he said.

After Men in Kindergarten, Wu will be busy hosting the next season of reality TV show The Amazing Race (China).

He will also travel to Malaysia and New Zealand to work on two films, one of which is a crime thriller.

But above all, his top priority remains Sage and Jonas.

"I just want to keep my children happy," he said simply.

This article was first published on May 1, 2015.
Get The New Paper for more stories.