Unsung Heroine

Society’s eyes fall to the frontlines of battles when we think of warriors. CHURAIRATANA “NUI” BHIROMBHAKDI tells JINDA WEDEL how the most valiant acts can go unnoticed

- Jinda Wedel

The metal pins in the A palm of Churairatana “Nui” Bhirombhakdi’s left hand make solid clanks as she rolls them around and talks about the previous night’s surgery. They easily span her delicate wrist, still heavily bandaged. “The surgeon at Bumrungrad just removed this one yesterday. It was starting to poke out of my wrist.” She chuckles at it as if it were a naughty child. The other pins are remnants of previous surgeries – a misbehaving cohort, as it were.

Nui’s list of surgeries is extensive (eight, just counting major procedures). Yet she carries her compact frame with purposefulness, and takes these complications in her stride. She has often strutted the red carpet at posh events post surgery – once, complete with a gorgeous lace adorned cast, a perfect match for her outfit. (“Still gorgeous, even injured!” crowed the next week’s society page headline.)

This summer, she took a jetset trip to Italy with her triplets, where she stayed at all the hottest spots, sporting a tan and bikinis on Amalfi coast cruises and wandering Venice in a crop top and chic shorts – barely weighed down by a cast. Then there was a visit to a southern Thai beach, one of her favourite spots.

And now that that pesky pin is out of her wrist bone, she’s headed back to the gym in a few months, to continue her weekly weight training routines. “My personal trainer’s going to be so afraid of pushing me too hard,” she laughs.

A WEIGHTY INHERITANCE

Nui’s family, the Bhirombhakdis, is one of the most powerful in Thailand. As the daughter of the late legendary beer business tycoon, Chamnong, she carries a last name that is instantly recognised in business and political circles.