His wife, former Mediacorp actress Kate Pang, dropped him a text saying, “You are the best!”, while his parents, who attended the awards, told him that they would “wait by the road to go home together”.
“I do feel sian [tired] for them [his parents]. They have been coming almost every year. I know deep down, they can’t wait to celebrate when I win something,” he said.
There is, however, at least one person who is openly sharing her disappointment – Avery, his nine-year-old daughter.
“My kids are staying with my brother, and he texted me that she is quite sad that I didn’t win,” he said.
However, Chen told us that he sees it as a teaching moment.
“They have never seen me stop, and I am not about to stop now. If you really love what you are doing, you just keep going,” he said.
The couple also have a son, Aden, who is 10.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though.
Chen said he found joy in seeing his colleagues go up to collect their Top 10 Most Popular Awards.
The popularity stakes, he reasoned, is a game he doesn’t think he’s “suitable for or capable of winning”.
“There are many aspects of the ‘popularity’ contest that don’t sit well with me,” he said, declining to go into further detail.
However, he reiterated that he’s always set his sights on acting.
“An acting award is something that I have been working towards my entire career, and it would be nice to be recognised,” said Chen.
Rewatch the Star Awards 2025 on mewatch or in the video below:
