Fiona Xie: I am single but I have standards

Fiona Xie might have set the hearts of many of her male fans fluttering on Tuesday (14 June) when the local television darling revealed that she is single.

At a press conference to announce her comeback role in the Channel 5 drama “Left Behind”, the 34-year-old Xie dropped a bombshell by saying that she was previously engaged.

“For the very first time, I am actually single… But not looking,” Xie said at her first conference since announcing her retirement from acting seven years ago.

Xie, who was previously reported to be dating an Australian-American, said, “You can never be with someone else until you’re a complete whole.

“And I am enjoying all the time I have, loving the things that I love, doing the things that I wanted to do. I think… I have standards, so I’m not going to settle.”

During her retirement, Xie immersed herself in the art world as a curator in Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York and most recently, Tokyo, where she will be returning to complete an art project once her shoot for “Left Behind” is finished.

On her role as a psychiatrist in “Left Behind”, Xie said that the director of the drama had shown her a clip of a Malay boy who was trying to cope with being gay by turning to music. With the boy in mind, Xie hoped that her performance in the drama would give a voice to Singaporeans who are struggling in life.

The star, who shot to fame in the Channel 8 sitcom “My Genie” in 2001, was widely remembered by her fans for a scene in the 2004 drama “The Champion”, where she ran down Orchard Road wearing only a bikini alongside fellow actresses Jeanette Aw, Felicia Chin and Joyce Chao.

Xie confessed that she felt nostalgic about Singapore while she was away. She became teary-eyed at the conference when she revealed that her return was tinged with sadness, as one of her cousins has fallen ill.

Without disclosing details, she said, “My cousin gave me the courage to say that ‘Hey, you know, if you have every breath to live, just live it. Whatever comes, comes’. I dedicate the show (Left Behind) to him.”

“Left Behind” is scheduled to air in August.

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