Saturday, November 26, 2011

Michelle Chong: Famous but unhappy


by Kwok Kar Peng


You can say Michelle Chong has found fame, 13 years after she took her first step into showbiz as a finalist in the 1998 talent search Fame Awards, organised by the then-Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS).
Now, after an uphill climb involving countless rejections by those in the industry, the local star has reached the peak of her career.
The versatile comedienne-actress-host, known for her hilarious impersonations and alter egos Barbarella and Leticia Bongnino on the Channel 5 skit show The Noose, is in high demand and appears on Mandarin TV channels too.
She can command a five-figure sum for a night's work performing at private events, owns a condominium apartment on Thomson Road and drives a Porsche Cayman.
And on Dec 1, she will be making it on to the big screen with Already Famous, a film she wrote, directed and starred in.
But now that she's, well, already famous, the 34-year-old MediaCorp star says she is deeply unhappy.
She didn't shy away from revealing to the media in June that she was seeking professional help for her depression - what her doctor terms a chronic chemical imbalance - and is taking medication for it.
Chong feels the main reason for her unhappiness is the lack of a long-term creative outlet.
.She also thinks her loneliness contributes to her unhappiness.
She has never been romantically linked to anyone or spoken to the media about her love life.
"I do crave for love and companionship. I can't wait to get married and have kids. I'm not dating anyone now and I am lonely," said Chong, who then broke into the classic Bobby Vinton song Mr Lonely.

Michelle Chong has found fame, 13 years after she took her first step into showbiz as a finalist in the 1998 talent search Fame Awards, organised by the then-Television Corporation of Singapore. (Photo: ST)

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