Been There, TAN That

Erstwhile Ch 8 actress FLORENCE TAN enjoys many perks working in China. Think huge paycheck and an entourage of personal assistants. So why did she choose to make a Ch 8 comeback?

- Cheryl Ong

The latest addition to the list of former Ch 8 stars returning to their roots is Florence Tan, aka the 1997 Star Search champ who was once local TV’s go-to girl for period dramas. The Malaysian-born actress had impressed in her debut drama, Immortal Love, where she more than held her own against Chew Chor Meng in one of local TV’s most iconic coupling. Hey, she didn’t win Star Search for nothing, okay? The sweet-faced lass also snagged Most Photogenic in the same contest. Proving that she’s no one hit wonder (and more than just a pretty face), she continued charming local audiences with her virginal maiden presence and serious acting chops in dramas like Return of the Condor Heroes, Wok of Life and Legendary Swordsman.

Subsequently, in 2006, she bid adieu to showbiz after tying the knot with her Taiwanese businessman beau. So what has the actress been up to since dropping off the radar here, bar a cameo in 2012’s Ch 8 drama Joys of Life? For those who think that she has retired into tai-tai life à la other former Ch 8 actresses (we’re looking at you, Phyllis Quek), that couldn’t be further from reality. Since signing on with Mainland production company Lafeng Entertainment in 2012, the actress has been busy raking in the big bucks with acting projects in China. Just like much of her TV work here, the bulk of her projects over there are period dramas. She spends the rest of her time being mum to nine year-old twin daughters.