Fiona Xie at a Fendi fashion show in Beijing. (Getty Images)
Fiona Xie is back in Singapore, but probably not for long.
After spending a year in Hong Kong and another in New York, Xie is in town for her first public appearance since upping and leaving the MediaCorp blockbuster TV drama Together (当我们�在一起) at the last minute two years ago.
She will be at a City Chain roadshow at nex shopping mall in Serangoon on Saturday from 6:30pm, in search of the Ultimate Shirtless Guy.
The former MediaCorp actress and host said in a phone interview with The New Paper that she misses Singapore and still sees it as her home.
"I get a fuzzy wuzzy feeling in my heart… I really miss my family, Singapore, and the liveliness and warmth of people who greet me like they've known me for 20 years," she said, adding that she was surprised to find that Singaporeans tell her that they miss her whenever she returns to visit.
While visiting friends in Australia before returning here earlier this week, she said she was surprised to be recognised by locals there as well (some of the food programmes she hosted with MediaCorp had aired in Australia before).
What she's been up to
Since leaving Singapore, the 29-year-old took art, creativity and fashion classes for personal interest in New York, and dipped briefly into the property and commodities markets.
Before that in Hong Kong, she produced for Tomasz Gudzowaty, a black-and-white Polish documentary photographer, where she did everything from logistics to applications for permits.
"The projects I did made me realise there are things I could do besides acting and hosting, and also how much experience I have," said Xie, adding that being overseas presented a level playing field.
"There was so much I could try and do, and it opened my eyes to a lot of new opportunities and growth," she said.
At the time, she said she left in a bid to follow her heart and in refusal to conform to societal expectations.
"When I made the choice to leave, I considered everything," she said. "I have money saved up from working 10 years in showbiz, which allows me to embrace life and travel."
Being in showbiz, she said, made her "wiser and more grounded" as well.
"It's an uphill battle and I come out scarred but victorious. If you clip my wing, I'll grow a new one and fly higher."
Xie also said she was never scared or insecure about her future while overseas, saying that she believed nothing is impossible in life.
"Whatever that comes, it will work out," she said. "You just need to change yourself to suit the circumstances and nothing will crush you.
"I do think of the future but I don't worry about it. Things came along smoothly for me."
Star-for-hire; pregnant; living off a rich man in New York?
Xie readily rebutted rumours that have been flying around about her being a star-for-hire at private parties, leaving showbiz because she was pregnant and living off a wealthy boyfriend in New York.
On the star-for-hire rumour, she said, "Really? I haven't heard about that before. That's odd, because it's libellous."
"Like it or not, female artistes are associated with these kinds of things. I'm not angry but it's insulting," she added, asking why she or other actresses like her would "go to such an extent to sell out".
It's an uphill battle and I come out scarred but victorious. If you clip my wing, I'll grow a new one and fly higher. Fiona Xie
In an earlier interview, Xie also said that she used her own money while staying in New York, and that she is not living off her 26-year-old Australian-American boyfriend, who is working there.
Though the relationship is going well now, she doesn't seem to have plans to get married yet.
"I don't know when I'll get married," she said. "When you are happy, you don't need to set it in stone. I don't need that validation, and paper doesn't mean bliss," she added.
Looking forward, Xie revealed she may be acting in a new movie, but wouldn't share more details.