The perks of being married, according to Eliza Sam

Photos: Dion Tang

Though Hong Kong TVB actress Eliza Sam has been blissfully married for two months, she still looks every inch a blushing bride during her recent visit to Singapore. Every so often, her mouth crinkled into a smile at the mention of her non-celebrity husband ‘Keung Keung’ (or Joshua) whom she dated for two years, giggling and gushing about the perks of being married.

You can’t blame the Canadian-born actress for being head over heels in love. The 32-year-old has been living along in Hong Kong for the past six years and spent her entire relationship living apart from Joshua as he was based in Vancouver, Canada.

Luckily for her, distance is no longer a factor in their relationship. He relocated to Hong Kong after their grand wedding in Fairmont Hotel Vancouver last December and now, in Eliza’s words, every day’s like a “honeymoon” for them.

That explains why the lovebirds have no plans to go on a honeymoon either because “we’re so happy just seeing each other every day!” Eliza raved in her interview with Toggle. “It feels like I have struck the lottery!”

Indeed. What’s the beautiful white beaches of Bora Bora or the sights and attractions of Athens when all you need is love.

Eliza and her husband on their wedding day (Photo: Eliza Sam/Facebook)

Married life is a steep learning curve

While they enjoyed being with each other 24/7, like all newly-married couples, Eliza revealed that she and Joshua had to learn how to live together initially.

It was a “steep learning curve” and they would bicker over things like her tardiness (“I just don’t understand why he has to be early for everything!” she chuckled) and his snoring problem, which she only discovered after marriage.

“I couldn’t fall asleep beside a snoring person,” she jokingly lamented, much to the amusement of reporters present at an event promoting TVB drama series, Heart And Greed 3, which is currently in production and slated to air on StarHub.

Snores and flaws may bug her, but Eliza is determined to make her marriage work and she won’t have it any other way. “I found out so many things about myself that I didn’t know about since he moved in,” she sheepishly confessed, before later adding that she’s “making a conscious effort to not be too self-centered” too.

The couple intend to take things slow as they work on becoming better partners and are “in no hurry to start a family,” said Eliza. In fact, the chirpy actress wants to have as much couple time together to make up for all the years they spent apart during their long-distance relationship.

When they eventually do have kids, will Eliza follow in the footsteps of good friend and fellow actress Linda Chung who moved back to Vancouver after getting married and having a child?

“I totally understand why Linda is so family-oriented, she replied, skirting the question, “I wouldn’t be able to be away from my baby for too long if I were in her shoes too.”

But would she halt work completely to be a homemaker when she has children? “Well,” she said, breaking into a wide grin, “That depends if people still want to see me on TV then, right?”

(Continued on next page: Oscar Leung explains his overprotective behaviour)

The overprotective dad with a soft spot for his daughter

Like Eliza, fellow TVB actor Oscar Leung is another celebrity who has just started a new chapter in life. The man oft-seen playing hooligan roles on TV is now a dad after welcoming his first child with his wife, Tiny, last month.

Beneath his bad boy facade lies a sensitive man – and now, an overprotective father who’d scurry to shut all the windows whenever his less-than-a-month-old daughter, Karina, sneezes.

In an interview to promote his new TVB drama, Nowhere, which will air on StarHub in May this year, the first-time father shared that his world now revolves around a little human: her nap times determine his schedule for the day and her moods affect his emotions.

Oscar carrying his baby daughter, Karina (Photos: Oscar Leung/Facebook)

He no longer spends his nights drinking at bars with his friends and prefers to meet them for short meals instead because he can’t bear to be away from his daughter. He was eventually called out by his wife and mother for his overly-attached behaviour.

“My mother and wife told me that I can’t keep staying home because I’ll have to go back to work someday, but I miss her (referring to his daughter) so much when I’m out,” he said candidly. “I feel so torn.”

So, how is he coping with separation anxiety for his first overseas work stint?

“Actually, I miss my wife the most during this trip to Singapore, but she didn’t believe me when I told her that, because I asked about our daughter right after,” he chuckled.

Despite Tiny’s misgivings about Oscar’s affections for her now that he has a new and younger “lover” in his life, the model-husband let on that he is planning a surprise for his wife to thank her for carrying his child. “My daughter is like a gift for the both of us and I want to thank my wife for giving me such a great gift.” Aww.

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