• Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Life
  • Women
  • Beauty Awards
  • Weddings
  • Beauty
    • Beauty
    • Makeup
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Body & Fragrances
    • Aesthetics & Services
    • Best Of Beauty
    • Reviews
  • Fashion
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
    • Trends & Tips
    • Style Files
    • Watches & Jewellery
  • Life
    • Life
    • Food
    • Entertainment
    • Wellness
    • Travel
    • Tech
    • Sex & Love
  • Women
    • Women
    • Women Now
    • Career
    • Money
  • #HERWORLDHERSTORY
  • Weddings
    • Weddings
    • Gowns & Suits
    • Ideas & Advice
    • Real Weddings
    • Love Nest
    • Luxe
  • Beauty Awards
  • SPA AWARDS
  • HAIR AWARDS
  • Woman of the year
  • Age Is Just A Number
  • Video
  • Showcase
    • SingHealth 2020: Defining Tomorrow’s Medicine
    • Dior Capture Totale
Subscribe!
  • Also available at:
Privacy Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising with Us
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Statement
SPH Media

MCI (P) 049/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Life
  • Women
  • Beauty Awards
  • Weddings

Entertainment

These local celebs were SIA flig...

E / Entertainment

These local celebs were SIA flight attendants before joining showbiz

Can you name them all?

by Bryan Lim and Chua Shi Min  /   May 7, 2021

Credit: Instagram/kimberlychia, sharonau13

Talent can be found almost anywhere and this is also true for our local showbiz.

If you’ve been keeping up with the talkshows, you’ll realise that many of the local celebrities entered the industry by chance — some were scouted, some joined the Star Search programme, and some were working in completely different jobs.

Well, here’s a little bit of trivia. Did you know that some of our more famous celebs used to work as flight attendants before they became stars?

READ NEXT

10 quirks about SQ girls you might not have known…

SQ flight attendants share tried-and-tested recipes inspired…

17 businesses that are run by local celebrities…

https://www.herworld.com/gallery/life/entertainment/local-celebs-sia-flight-attendants/
These local celebs were SIA flight attendants before joining showbiz
Sharon Au
custom

Before she made her mark co-hosting City Beat with Kym Ng and Bryan Wong, Sharon Au joined Singapore Airlines (SIA) as a cabin crew. She was good at what she did and snagged the Best Trainee Award at her graduation ceremony in 1994.

But as luck would have it, she decided to audition for Toy Factory’s Mandarin version of the Hong Kong stage classic I Have a Date With Spring and that led her to be discovered and inducted into showbiz.

She had an illustrious career with Mediacorp but decided to leave and move to Paris where she now works in a private equity firm. That said, Sharon still looks back fondly on her air stewardess days and is proud to say that she can still fit into the iconic sarong kebaya after all this time.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sharon Au (@sharonau13)

Thomas Ong
image

He joined SIA as a flight attendant after he graduated from school and was fortunate enough (or maybe he’s just that good) to get in on his first try, he said during the meWATCH talkshow Hear U Out. At that time, the standards for flight stewards were really high so it was no easy feat.

Thomas thought that being a flight attendant meant he could travel and see the world for free but slowly got bored of travelling to the same few places.

He quit after a couple of years, but he got scouted to be a model and signed with a renowned agency in Singapore. While doing a fashion catwalk for a TV show at Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) — before it was restructured into Mediacorp — he was invited to give showbiz a try.

(Here are “23 Youthful-Looking Celebs Who Don’t Seem to Age“)

Screengrab from meWATCH, Instagram/thomasong17
Kym Ng
image

The firecracker of a host is fiercely private and it shows — not much turned up when we tried to Google her past.

She was said to be a flight attendant with SIA but it’s unclear how long she was with them for or what her experience was like. However, local television host Quan Yi Fong mentioned on Hear U Out that it took Kym 10 tries before succeeding on her application — unlike Thomas.

But, this was when she met her husband, she told 8 Days in an interview. The couple met at a social gathering while she was an air stewardess and they’ve been together ever since.

(Read also “SQ Girls’ 9 Favourite Hydrating Sheet Masks For Dry And Dehydrated Skin“)

After she quit her job as a cabin crew, she became a singer and subsequently joined TCS where she switched to hosting and acting.

Internet screengrab
Kelly Poon
custom

She joined SIA as an air stewardess after graduating from Singapore Polytechnic in 2004 but emerged from 2005’s Project SuperStar competition with a recording deal with Universal Music.

Kelly has released five albums since she started her career as a singer and is active in both Singapore and Taiwan.

At one point in her career, there were rumours that she was going to quit singing and return to being a cabin crew. However, she clarified that she meant should she leave the music industry one day, she would go back to being a flight attendant because that is what she would like to work as.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kelly 潘嘉麗 Official IG (@kellypanjiali)

Kimberly Chia
custom

Kimberly got her showbiz start as a child model and actress. She has also participated in many local television productions, juggling both school and acting, during her undergraduate days at the Singapore Institute of Management studying for a diploma in Management Studies.

However, Kimberly also harboured dreams of being an air stewardess. After much discussion with and encouragement from her parents and Dasmond Koh, the boss of her management company, she took the plunge to leave showbiz and switch industries.

After two years of tasting what being an air stewardess meant with Singapore Airlines, Kimberly is back with Noon Talk and is focused on becoming a better actress.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kimberly Chia 谢静仪 (@kimberlychia)

Rayson Tan
custom

Rayson was originally a flight steward prior to joining showbiz. Despite earning a steady income, he always had dreams of becoming an actor.

At the age of 25, which is considered late for many actors looking to break into the scene, Rayson competed in the 1990 Star Search Singapore talent competition. Even though he didn’t receive professional training in acting, Rayson did well and debuted with the 2nd runner-up win.

Since then, Rayson has starred in many TV dramas and is a well-known veteran actor to local audiences.

This article was first published in AsiaOne and NUYOU. Translation by Ho Guo Xiong. 

Read Next

7 celeb-owned restaurants to visit for your next meal

10 beauty secrets from SQ girls to keep skin in tip-top condition

20 Singaporean celebs open up about their mental health struggles

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rayson Tan (@raysonttm)

  • TAGS:
  • flight attendants
  • Local celebrities
  • showbiz
  • SIA stewardess
  • singapore airlines
  • SQ girl
SHARE THIS ON

T / Trending

Life

Motherhood at 40: Celeb mums who gave birth in their 40s

Life

11 Korean zombie shows that will keep you on the edge of your sea...

Life

Age is just a number: Tan Kheng Hua is living her best life at 59...

Life

13 of the hottest F1 drivers that will set your heart racing

Life

16 surprising things to know about Rebecca Lim

Life

Jamie Chua gives house tour of her Merryn Road bungalow, finally

Life

Cynthia Koh had a wardrobe malfunction in that controversial dres...

Life

Why Shanisse Tsai doesn't plan to join showbiz full time

Life

Sharon Au quits her job after her Paris home was burgled

Life

6 things you didn't know about Anna Shay from Bling Empire

Life

Fiona Xie: I am still a romantic person, but with greater maturit...

Life

From karting to #throwbacks, here's how local stars celebrated th...

Highlights
  • Awards Level up your shower routine with this influencer-approve...
  • Awards Why we can’t get enough of this glow-boosting supplement
  • Awards This award-winning supplement can give you thicker, shini...
  • Awards How to up your tooth brushing game
Editor’s Picks
  • Entertainment Motherhood at 40: Celeb mums who gave birth in their 40s
  • Entertainment 13 of the hottest F1 drivers that will set your heart racing
  • Entertainment 8 awesome alternative cinemas in Singapore for movie date...
  • Watches & Jewellery The most beautiful celebrity engagement rings
  • Style Files Korean celebs who are ambassadors of designer brands
  • Entertainment Lee Joon Gi: 17 interesting things to know about him
Newsletter Subscribe
Sign up for one of our free newsletters to receive the latest news, commentary and fashion features straight from Her World.

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • PDPA
  • Conditions of Access
  • Privacy Statement
?>
SPH Media

MCI (P) 049/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.