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Mon, Jun 23, 2008
AsiaOne
Belinda Lee: Travelling saved my soul

Belinda Lee only has 'O' level qualifications, but in her current stint as a travel show hostess, she has slept in the African wilderness, gone without a shower for days in Botswana and Mongolia, scaled a steep mountain to visit mental patients in Yunnan, China and even contracted dengue fever in Switzerland.

Instead of being put up in nice hotels and comfortable accommodation, she roughs it out along with her interviewees in the show.

She even cries along with them, her tears flowing freely when they talk about missing relatives and home.

In an interview with Simply Her, the current host of "Find Me A Singaporean", a travel show that sees the actress-hostess visit far-flung places in search of Singaporeans who have made their homes in other exotic lands, reveals that the show has allowed her to be the "girl who is super-duper emotional".

The 31-year-old MediaCorp artiste may have been in show business for the past 10 years, but it was not until she began hosting the travelogue that she "finally found freedom - and found myself".

She revealed that producers told her that showing emotions was taboo, so she tried to foster a "stronger" personality onscreen. That obviously did not work for Belinda.

Belinda told Simply Her: " I was so jaded I wanted to give up. I told myself, 'Belinda you are not doing anything fruitful; nobody appreciates you, you're just that crazy woman on TV screaming all the time, running around Singapore and making a fool of yourself'."

But ever since she began hosting the show, she says that she has "found the purpose to continue with my work" as strangers would approach her and thank her for hosting a programme that inspires them.

No skirting the issue either, when the topic of relationships came up. She reveals that she does intend to settle down with her hotel interior designer boyfriend, 36-year-old Leonard Lee, but not in the near future.

She revealed: "You don't settle down just because the time frame is suitable," preferring to wait to work on their characters and understanding of each other.

For the full feature, pick up a copy of the July Issue of Simply her at all news stands now.


 

 
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