Celebrity 'couples' centre of attention at TVB awards

It was supposed to be a glitzy affair to celebrate the best of Hong Kong TVB productions and stars in Singapore.

But at Saturday's StarHub TVB Awards 2013, all eyes were on the industry's real-life celebrity pairings - one bygone pair, and one who's reportedly still very much in love.

Heart-throb Bosco Wong and pixie-faced Myolie Wu - former lovers who went their separate ways last July after seven years - were making their first appearance in town together since their headlinemaking split.

So were TVB queen Tavia Yeung and her beefcake actor-boyfriend Him Law, who had never stepped out at the same event in Singapore till Saturday night.

Alas, much to the disappointment of local media, Wong and Wu behaved like strangers throughout the whole event, making little to no eye contact. Yeung and Law were no better, expertly dodging questions about their romance.

Back stage, when quizzed by reporters about how she felt about awards ceremony host King Kong playfully calling her "Luo Tai Tai" (Mrs Law in Mandarin). Yeung, 34, said with a wide grin: "Oh, I've got hearing problems, I don't know what 'luo' King Kong was referring to.

"The only 'luo' I know is 'qiao luo da gu' (Mandarin for clanging cymbals and drums), as my character in (TV drama) Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles is a Peking opera actress and she has to do quite a lot of that."

But it wasn't hard to detect from her witty, cryptic replies that all was hunky-dory in her relationship with Law, who, at 29, is five years her junior.

They became an item after starring in TVB's 2012 hit medical series The Hippocratic Crush.

So how does her mother feel about Law, a reporter ventured to ask.

Beaming widely from ear to ear, she said: "My mum likes my character's cymbal-clanging and drum-hitting very much."

The StarHub TVB Awards 2013, held at Marina Bay Sands' Grand Theatre to a capacity crowd of 2,000 and televised live on E City (StarHub Ch 825), saw Yeung and Wong taking home the night's highest acting accolades, My Favourite TVB Actress and My Favourite TVB Actor.

Wong, 32, and actress Niki Chow, 34, his co-star in psychological drama A Change of Heart, also bagged My Favourite TVB Onscreen Couple.

The two, evidently buddies off-screen, were in high spirits after their victory, locking arms and humming the tune of Mendelssohn's Wedding March as they walked into the media centre.

What Wong didn't see coming, though, was the ribbing by Chow.

Teasing

When this reporter asked them how they felt about creating an upset by beating the category's hot favourites, Myolie Wu and Ron Ng for airlinethemed drama Triumph in The Skies II, Chow mock-gasped and shot back: "What did you just say? Myolie Wu? You actually dare to mention her name in front of Bosco?"

Then, to the laughter of journalists in the room, she turned her head slowly to look at Wong, who wore a bemused, slightly exasperated expression.

But he exacted revenge by teasing Chow about her hot new romance with Chinese mainland actor Jeremy Jones, which was exposed by the Hong Kong media a few days ago.

On a more serious note, Wong stressed that there was "no awkwardness" attending the same event as ex-girlfriend Wu.

"Why should we feel awkward? Look, she's just across the room. If I happen to bump into her, I'd still greet her, it's basic courtesy."

In a separate interview, Wu was reticent when asked if she managed to catch up and chit-chat with Wong.

"There was no chance to, I didn't get to see him," she said simply.

After the awards ceremony, she told reporters she was "married to work" and "enjoying" her singlehood.

keeyunt@sph.com.sg

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