FULL ON LOVE

Happily married for over a decade, Cheryl Samad and Ng Ping Ho share their love story and a few lessons on love this Valentine's season

- Kiran Pillay

When actress and television host Cheryl Samad met her match in Ng Ping Ho, the scene unfolded like something out of a rom-com. “I met Ping in 2002 while auditioning for Each Other. At the time, I was young, and he was a hotshot director that everyone wanted to work with, but I had never heard of him,” Cheryl admits sheepishly. Following the encounter, the pair worked together frequently, building a solid friendship as Cheryl fancied Ng’s easygoing nature. The couple officially began dating in 2008. 

Although Ng has stepped away from producing, directing and screenwriting to establish himself as a hotelier, the recollections of his blossoming friendship with Cheryl in the early days are vivid. “She was such a kind person, and I knew very quickly [that she was the right one], but it took me a long time to ask her to marry me.”

For Cheryl, the feeling was mutual. “Conversations were so easy on our first date, and I knew I was going to end up with him when he drove me home that day,” the Ghost star confesses. Cheryl admits she wasn’t frantically deep in love but highly cognisant that Ng was kindly, affectionate, and made her feel comfortable and seen. The feeling was mutual. “What I loved and still love about Cheryl is how kind she is. It’s something that I always noticed and attracts me to her even today,” Ng shares.