I think Aloysius will be proud of me: Jayley Woo
PHOTO: The Straits Times
PUBLISHED ONMarch 27, 2019 12:37 AM
Actress Jayley Woo is still learning to cope without the presence of boyfriend – late actor Aloysius Pang – by her side.
In an interview with The Straits Times published on Wed (March 27) – her first since Aloysius' passing in January this year – she shared that she "tries very hard every day".
"I think I've been doing good. I think he'll be proud of me," Jayley said while choking back tears.
The couple's secret relationship came to light after the 28-year-old actor died during a military training accident in New Zealand.
His ashes were scattered at sea, with a portion of it made into keepsake jewellery for the family.
But no, the blue heart pendant that Jayley reportedly fiddled with throughout the interview isn't one of them. The actress revealed that the pendant was a gift from Aloysius.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvd0dBwHleG/[/embed]
Since his death, there's been an outpouring of sympathy for the 27-year-old actress – after all, who can forget that Aloysius had plans to save up and propose to Jayley within three years?
However, along with all the support, there's also been a barrage of criticisms online, mostly centred over how Jayley has chosen to cope with her grief – through countless public posts and stories on her Instagram account.
Jayley told The Straits Times she tries to ignore all the negativity: "My goal now is to be a good daughter, sister, mummy to my dog and a good person. And I don't have the time or effort to spend on negativity. So I try to mentally block out such comments."
She will next appear in the public eye at the Star Awards on April 14.
It will be the first time that the actress will be attending the show as a freelance artist. She left Mediacorp last year and is one of 20 actresses shortlisted for the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste award.
The actress credits acting for helping her pull through the tough times, especially during the filming of Channel 8 drama Jalan Jalan, which was when Aloysius' accident happened. She told the paper: "It gave me motivation every day to wake up, to do things and kept me occupied.
"Acting was there when I had everything and it was there when I had nothing. It's a constant in my life and an outlet for my feelings."
candicecai@asiaone.com