It took actress Yvonne Lim, a long stint of 11 years in showbiz before she finally reaped rewards for her efforts.

Her star only started to shine when she took on the role of Fyn  in the Channel 8 drama Portrait of Home and took home the Best Supporting Actress award at the Star Awards 2005. Before that, lacklustre girl-next-door and damsel-in-distress roles had dominated seven acting years of her career.

While playing the character, she was so committed that she even isolated herself, such that even until know, she can still feel the darkness of the character creeping into her emotions. She has also gone on a strict diet of fish and popiah and engaged in vigorous exercise to play the role of a sexy betel nut girl in Chinese drama An Enchanted Life, and even depriving herself of sleep to play a mentally traumatised patient.

But the 32-year-old bears no pretense when it comes to claiming her victory.

She told women's magazine, Simply Her: "I didn't have everything served to me on a silver platter. So I'm not sorry for getting the recognition because I worked really hard for it."

However, there is one thing that she will not do for her craft - which is to strip.

Expressing shock, she told Simply Her: "I don't think anybody would want to see me naked."

But the self-professed wild child has been channelling her energies in more positive ways as well. Currently the celebrity spokesperson for the Health Promotion Board's initiative to help women give up smoking, she managed to get rid of her smoking habit last year.

Although Yvonne is an intensely private person, she admitted that a failed marriage proposal was a challenge she had to overcome, but she has regained confidence in love now and is dating someone from outside the entertainment industry.