For years after his death, a devastated Zoe could not even talk about him without tears breaking down in tears.

And despite being able to "cope better now", as Zoe confides in an exclusive interview with Her World, her eyes still brim with tears at the mention of her father.

Her father, Tay June Seng, was plagued with lung problems - brought on by his smoking habit - and had passed away in 1998 when the Queen of Caldecott Hill marked her 10 years in showbiz.

Her late father had disapproved of Zoe's early career choice in modelling. He had the impression that models indulge in promiscuous and harmful behaviour like smoking and drinking.

Despite the initial protest from her stern parent, an 18-year-old Zoe was determined to call the shots. At the same time, she assured her father she would "go straight home after each class and would not drink or smoke".

But Mr Tay eventually spurred his daughter on to win the top prize in the inaugural talent-search competition, Star Search, as he preferred his little girl to act instead modelling.

"I was nervous before the competition but when my father said that it'll be good if I could win the car for him, I was determined,"recounts Zoe.

The 40 year-old actress, who has earned a reputation for her affable, humble and down-to-earth personality, attributed her virtues to the work ethic that her father instilled in her since she was a child.

Zoe tells Her World: "When bits of grains fell to the ground from the sacks of feed, my father made us children pick them up one by one so that not a single grain was wasted."
How would she celebrate Father's Day with him if he were still here?

She said: "One of my my biggest regrets is that I never had a chance to accompany him on a holiday to Harbin. He wanted to visit for the longest time, but did not get the chance to because he was too weak to travel. If I could fly there with him now, I would."

For the full story, grab a copy of June's Her World at all newsstands today.