Star Awards 2025: Christopher Lee wins big, including Special Achievement Award and Best Actor
Christopher Lee won three big awards –Special Achievement Award, Best Actor and Best Programme Host – at the Star Awards on July 6.
SINGAPORE – With more than 200 artistes in attendance, the 30th edition of Star Awards was the most star-studded in its history, with the biggest star of the night being Christopher Lee with three wins.
At the awards ceremony held at The Theatre at Mediacorp on July 6, the Malaysia-born local actor was honoured with the Special Achievement Award, presented to him by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked his wife, fellow actress Fann Wong, 54, and their 10-year-old son Zed.
Lee said to Fann, who was seated in the audience: 'You received this award a long time ago. You are my inspiration and motivation.'
And to Zed, he added: 'I want to raise you to be a good person. Thank you for being my son.'
In his acceptance speech, Christopher Lee thanked his wife, fellow actress Fann Wong, and their son, Zed.
PHOTO: MEDIACORP
The 53-year-old also nabbed two more awards: Best Actor for mystery crime series Kill Sera Sera and Best Programme Host for the second season of variety cooking show Dishing With Chris Lee.
When receiving the former, which he won for playing a man whose daughter is found dead and dismembered, said during his speech: 'I feel so surprised. Kill Sera Sera is quite a dark production which was difficult to film. I have never acted with the goal of winning awards. To me, what is important is that the audience enjoys the programme, and can connect with it. Thank you for supporting Kill Sera Sera'.
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Lee's Kill Sera Sera co-star, Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan, won Best Actress for playing his onscreen wife. The 54-year-old said on stage: 'This has been the toughest role I have won in. I have always wanted to be an actress. I hope to present more shows for you to watch.'
Kill Sera Sera's Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan with her award.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat, whose last appearance at Star Awards was at its inaugural edition in 1994, presented the trophies to the 20 winners of the Top 10 Most Popular Male and Female Artistes.
The genial 70-year-old celebrity guest dished out hugs and took wefies with the veteran local artistes who attended the 1994 edition, which included Zoe Tay, Li Nanxing, Chen Liping, Pan Lingling and Aileen Tan. He did the same with the winners of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes.
It was also a special night for Yvonne Lim and Pornsak, who won the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award. It is conferred to those who have won a cumulative 10 Top 10 Most Popular Male or Female Artistes accolade.
Pornsak, 43, said: 'I know I am not the strongest, but I am the most lucky.'
Lim, 48, attended Star Awards 2025 with her husband, Taiwanese businessman Alex Tien, as well as their son AJ, 10, and daughter Alexa, eight. The family used to live in Taiwan, but returned to Singapore in January.
Lim said: 'I have been working and living overseas for more than 10 years. But Singapore has always been where my dream started. I am a normal person. I have to cook and read to my children. And to get your support, I feel very fortunate.'
Cynthia Koh won her first Best Supporting Actress award for the drama Hope Afloat since her acting career started in 1992.
The 51-year-old, who played a woman who quits her job to become a caregiver to her disabled daughter , said: 'After working for so long, I have finally reached the end. I have failed before, and questioned myself, but I always told myself not to give up. Thank you to the fans. You are the strength that pushes me to move forward.'
Cynthia Koh won her first Best Supporting Actress award for the drama Hope Afloat, since her acting career started in 1992.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Chen Hanwei clinched his third Best Supporting Actor award for his role as a former convict in the crime drama Unforgivable. The 55-year-old, who also won in the category in 2015 and 2018, said: 'Good productions have created us as actors. We will do our best to do right by the company (Mediacorp), and the fans and friends who have supported us. It has been 30 years. Apart from thanks, I have more thanks.'
Chen Hanwei clinched his third Best Supporting Actor award for his role as a former convict in the crime drama Unforgivable.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Star Awards 2025: List of main winners
Programme awards:
Best Drama Serial: Unforgivable
Best Entertainment Programme: Dishing With Chris Lee Season 2
Best Infotainment Programme: Legends Of Singapore Comedy
Best Short-form Entertainment Programme: #JustSwipeLah
Best Theme Song: Remnants from Once Upon A New Year's Eve, sung by Jim Lim
Best Radio Programme: The Shuang, Kunz, Jia Trio from Yes 933
Performance awards:
Best Actor: Christopher Lee for Kill Sera Sera
Best Actress: Jessica Hsuan for Kill Sera Sera
Best Supporting Actor: Chen Hanwei for Unforgivable
Best Supporting Actress: Cynthia Koh for Hope Afloat
Best Rising Star: Tyler Ten for Unforgivable
Best Programme Host: Christopher Lee for Dishing With Chris Lee Season 2
Young Talent Award: Lincoln Ang for Born To Shine
Best Audio Personality: Zhong Kun Hua for The Shuang, Kunz, Jia Trio
Special Achievement Award: Christopher Lee
Popularity awards:
Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes: Benjamin Tan, Desmond Tan, Guo Liang, Jeff Goh, Jeremy Chan, Marcus Chin, Richie Koh, Romeo Tan, Xu Bin, Zong Zijie
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes: Carrie Wong, Chantalle Ng, Chen Biyu, Chen Ning, Denise Camillia Tan, Gao Mei Gui, Hong Ling, Paige Chua, Tasha Low, Ya Hui
Most Popular Rising Stars: Ayden Sng, Tyler Ten and Zhang Ze Tong
All-time Favourite Artiste Award: Pornsak and Yvonne Lim
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CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Inside Star Awards 2025's fan zone, where the most diehard showed up 8 hours early
Towards the end of the red carpet segment of Star Awards 2025 on Sunday (Jul 6) evening, a fan next to me – let's call him Overzealous Fan – remarked that he was considering hanging around at Mediacorp till midnight. It would mean waiting for six hours, mind you – around the time that he estimated the post-event party would end. He didn't have a ticket for the main show in The Theatre at Mediacorp, which was taking place after the red carpet, and staying late would mean an expensive cab ride home. But for the mere possibility of glimpsing the artistes as they left for the night? Why, it should be an easy call. Earlier in the evening, I'd spotted him setting up a stool to prop his camera tripod, allowing him to film the entire red carpet show from the back of the crowd. He stood in the same spot for the whole hour, probably willing to be sooner burnt by the sweltering heat than miss personally capturing a second of the show … which he could watch live on his mobile device. And yet, Overzealous Fan's mild hesitation to remain till the post-event party wrapped up rendered him less of a devotee than another I shall call Even More Overzealous Fan. The latter scoffed when asked whether he was staying till midnight. He had shown up at 9am, even though the first segment began at 5pm, and there was no way he was leaving before he got what I reckon he came for: Some selfies and shoulder-rubbing. 'Yes of course I will stay! There are over 200 celebrities here! We must wait! It's worth it! How dare we not stay?' Even More Overzealous Fan declared in Mandarin, seemingly indignant that an alternative was suggested at all. 'There is no reward without hard work!' CAMPING FOR CELEBRITIES Forgive my apparent befuddlement. I understand strategising to score Taylor Swift tickets, hanging out at the airport to spot K-pop idols, and perhaps even queuing outside the Apple Store before a new iPhone drops. To arrive at Star Awards eight hours ahead of time, though? I doubted there was a need to 'chope' or reserve one's spot when I was certain that supply would far exceed demand. I ate my words at 4pm – an hour before the red carpet segment began – when I came face to face with around 200 fans happy to bake in the heat while awaiting their idols. There was a dizzying array of fan clubs, including some of celebrities whose existence I was learning about for the first time that evening. Among the more creative club names on display were Elvinology (Elvin Ng), The Beckers Team (Rebecca Lim), Carrieteristic (Carrie Wong), DesTheWay (Desmond Ng), Felicity (Felicia Chin) and The Juliet Club (Romeo Tan). Then there were fan clubs whose coordinated signs and T-shirts simply showed their idol's name: Zoe Tay, Ya Hui, Yvonne Lim, Joanne Peh, Bonnie Loo, Lee Teng, Tyler Ten and Paige Chua, to name a few. But like any interviewee, they were more than happy to talk about their passion. It just so happened this passion was a person, in this instance. Olivia Lee, a first-time Star Awards attendee and new member of Elvinology, said she just discovered the fan club this year. The 38-year-old started watching Elvin Ng's shows eight years ago, and found him 'very natural'. She has since met Ng twice in person, including once on a fan club outing to Melaka, and remembers him to be 'very gentlemanly' in how he spoke. 'When you interact with him, you can feel the warmth. He's very down-to-earth. You don't feel like he's a celebrity.' If anything, it seems having no airs is why other fan clubs like their celebrity idols too. Some members of the Yverlasting Yvonne fan club – for Yvonne Lim, who else? – expressed similar reasons they were enamoured with the 48-year-old actress who took home the All-Time Favourite Artiste trophy on Sunday night. Part-time administrative worker in her 60s Catherine Pang has always watched Lim's movies but only recently started being more invested in her career. Lim is 'very sincere' when interacting with fans online too, said Pang. With her on Sunday was Tan Lay Tin, who has attended Star Awards five times as Lim's fan. The actress is 'very thoughtful' towards her fans, Tan said, recalling the time Lim bought her Milo when she wasn't feeling well, despite it being their first meeting. And when I caught up with a small group from The Beckers Team, one of the fan club's longest-serving members Louisa Tan said she's lost count of the number of times she attended Star Awards as Rebecca Lim's fan. Although the actress received the All-Time Favourite Artiste trophy in 2023 and wasn't up for any award on Sunday night, 'we just come support', said Tan, 28, who joined the fan club when she was in secondary school. Lim is 'very easygoing', putting her 'whole heart' into fan interactions, Tan added. 'You won't feel like there's a gap between fans and her.' Still, apart from the sporadic cheer whenever fan clubs heard their respective celebrity's names being announced, the red carpet reception felt considerably muted. Many seemed happier to watch the event livestream from their phones – as it was happening, yes, right in front of them. That is, until nominee and eventual winner of the Best Rising Star award Tyler Ten showed up. Judging by the deafening screams for this man who – despite his evidently strong fanbase – I wouldn't recognise if my life depended on it, I realised I was officially out of touch with this new generation of Mediacorp artistes. I was no longer in primary school, when the daily 7pm and 9pm dramas on Channel 8 were my reward for finishing my homework; when I could depend on the one and only Ivy Lee to helm every show worth following; when local celebrity culture was revered, not ridiculed. But I swear I felt nine again, the minute I saw OG legends Fann Wong, Christopher Lee, Zoe Tay and Li Nanxing walk the red carpet – and once more when most recipients of the All-Time Favourite Artiste award since 2004 gathered on stage to kick off the Star Awards main show. Then I understood the diehard fans around me. Kind of. I, too, held my own reverence for the celebrities whose works I loved. The subject of our affection may differ, but the essence of our admiration remains universal. In the end, how different were modern Mediacorp celebrity fans, really, from Swifties, political party advocates, football supporters or even myself? Maybe not so, for the American writer Mark Twain once famously said: 'Fame is a vapour, popularity an accident; the only earthly certainty is oblivion.' Maybe every fandom is, at its core, about seeking something greater than oneself to stave off such oblivion. An hour before the show ended yesterday, I spotted fans who didn't manage to get tickets still milling around the theatre lobby. Among them was Even More Overzealous Fan from earlier, apparently keeping his promise to stay until midnight. Another was 21-year-old Vincent Lim, an F&B worker who'd specifically requested a day off to attend Star Awards, he'd told me earlier in the evening. He wasn't there for any particular celebrity; he carried no signboard or elaborate gear, just excitement at finally attending the event he'd only ever watched on TV as a child.


AsiaOne
7 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Christopher Lee, Cynthia Koh, Chantalle Ng among Star Awards 2025 winners, Entertainment News
Star Awards 2025, with its lavish guest list of over 200 celebrities, ended on a high note last night (July 6). From Best Actress to Favourite CP, here's the list of all the winners in each category. Performance Category Best Actor Christopher Lee went home with Best Actor for his role in the 2024 drama Kill Sera Sera. This marks his third Best Actor win, with his first being in 1997 where he broke a record for being the youngest actor to win a Star Award at age 26. Best Actress She was nominated for the category for the first time, and went home with a win. Best Actress went to Hong Kong star Jessica Hsuan for her role in Kill Sera Sera. Best Supporting Actor Chen Hanwei won Best Supporting Actor for the third time for his role in the 2024 drama Unforgivable. He took home the same award in 2015 and 2018. When AsiaOne asked him how he felt about this win, he said he suddenly thought of his mother who died July last year. "In the past, whenever I won an award, she was always the first person I would tell. But this year… I no longer have that chance. So today, I'm wearing her ring and her earrings. I hope she knows." He said some people may wonder why he won again and spoke his piece. "I just want to say this, I'm an actor. Acting is no longer just my profession. It's my life. It's everything to me. I've been doing this for over 30 years, and during that time, I've always been nurturing and guiding the younger generation. But acting is still my craft, and I have to give it my all," he said. Best Supporting Actress This year marks her sixth time being nominated in this category, and her first winning it. Cynthia Koh won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the drama Hope Afloat, and she told AsiaOne she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "After so many years of returning empty-handed, I've felt disappointed and distraught previously. So to be able to get it this time round, I'm truly very happy," said the 51-year-old. "Honestly, perhaps due to the disappointment from previous years, yesterday I was able to fall asleep really quickly, and didn't really consider winning the award much, if at all." Cynthia last won a Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste award in 2022. Best Rising Star Tyler Ten is this year's Best Rising Star. He won the award for his role in Unforgivable. The 29-year-old told AsiaOne he's thinking of buying a whole cake for himself to celebrate his achievement. "I love chocolate cake, and I've been starving myself so that I can look good on stage. I will also celebrate with my fans and treat them to a meal, because they have been working really hard these past few years and this is my first award so I would like to share [this win] with them," he said. Best Programme Host (Entertainment & Infotainment) Best Programme Host went to Christopher Lee for his cooking show Dishing with Chris Lee S2. He said he wants to film a third season not for the awards, but the audience: "When I go to wet markets, there are many elderly folks who ask me when season three will happen, so I know that audiences love this show. I'll work hard to secure and confirm the third season, because their love is most important." Young Talent Award Child actor Lincoln Ang won the Young Talent Award for Born to Shine. The series was his second drama, with his debut work being All That Glitters (2023). Best Audio Personality Yes 933 DJ Kenneth Chung took home the Best Audio Personality award. He was previously nominated for Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste in 2023 and 2024. Popularity Category Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste Awards Ya Hui (ninth win) Chen Ning (third win) Denise Camillia Tan (second win) Chantalle Ng (fourth win) Carrie Wong (10th win) Chen Biyu (third win) Gao Meigui (second win) Tasha Low (third win) Hong Ling (fourth win) Paige Chua (ninth win) Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste Awards Romeo Tan (10th win) Xu Bin (sixth win) Jeremy Chan (third win) Jeff Goh (third win) Benjamin Tan (second win) Zong Zijie (first win) Marcus Chin (fifth win) Desmond Tan (ninth win) Richie Koh (second win) Guo Liang (ninth win) Most Popular Rising Stars Most Popular Rising Stars went to three actors: Ayden Sng, Zhang Zetong and Tyler Ten. Special Awards All-Time Favourite Artiste Awards All-Time Favourite Artiste is awarded to artistes who have won a cumulative 10 Top 10 Most Popular Artiste awards. This year, the trophies went to actress Yvonne Lim and host Pornsak. [[nid:719896]] Special Achievement Award The Special Achievement Award went to Christopher Lee. My Pick Awards! Favourite CP Chantalle Ng has won My Pick Awards! Favourite CP (Couple) for the fourth time in a row, and this time it's with her Hope Afloat co-star Zhang Zetong. She previously won the same award with Xu Bin for My Star Bride in 2022 as well as Love at First Bite in 2023 and with Desmond Tan for All That Glitters in 2024. [[nid:719888]] The Show Stealer My Pick Awards! The Show Stealer this year went to Jesseca Liu won for her role in Unforgivable. She was last nominated for Best Actress in 2023 but went home empty-handed for the fifth time. Most Emotional Performance Another Unforgivable cast member swept a trophy from My Pick Awards!. Hong Ling won the Most Emotional Performance award for her role as Guan Lin in the drama. Awards presented by partners Bioskin Most Charismatic Award Chantalle Ng won Bioskin's Most Charismatic Award. BYD Favourite Male Character Award The BYD Favourite Male Character Award went to Romeo Tan for his role as Hendrix in Mr Zhou's Ghost Stories@Job Haunting III. BYD Favourite Female Character Award Carrie Wong won the BYD Favourite Female Character Award for her role as Lin Siyu in Coded Love. Programme Awards Best Short-form Entertainment Programme The trophy for Best Short-form Entertainment Programme went to #JustSwipeLah, hosted by Xixi Lim, Juin Teh, Jernelle Oh and Seow Sin Nee. Best Entertainment Programme Dishing with Chris Lee season two achieved the Best Entertainment Programme award. The other nominated shows were King of Culinary season four, Makan On Wheels, Pasar Malam Stars and Star Awards 2024 - Award Ceremony. Best Infotainment Programme Legends of Singapore Comedy won Best Infotainment Programme over Old Taste Detective season five, Tuesday Report - Restart, Women Behind Bars and World's Unique Neighbourhoods. Best Drama Serial The Best Drama Serial award went to Unforgivable. The other nominated dramas were Kill Sera Sera, Once Upon A New Year's Eve, To Be Loved and Born to Shine. Best Radio Programme Best Radio Programme went to The Shuang, Kunz, Jia Trio (Yes 933). DJs Hazelle Teo and Chen Qijia shared funny memories they had while on air. Shared Hazelle, 31: "When I was really new and just entered the radio industry, I went confidently on air during my weekend shift and I said, 'Oh today is a very beautiful Sunday afternoon, I hope everyone can get to have a lan jiao (lazy nap in Mandarin but sounds like a Hokkien swear word).' "That was such a funny mistake I made all those years ago and I will never forget it." Qijia, also 31, recalled how she drank a matcha latte and almost blacked out during a night belt with Hazelle: "It was then that I realised I had caffeine intolerance. So I was literally talking and I almost closed my eyes and blacked out... I told Hazelle, 'Babe, I'm, gonna faint.' Then, she quickly passed me her medicated oil. I'll remember that oil for life." Best Theme Song This year's Best Theme Song award went to Remenants (Once Upon A New Year's Eve) performed by Jim Lim. [[nid:719799]] syarifahsn@ No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Welsh women carry on tradition of oddball team photo
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Wales women's major tournament debut at Euro 2025 might not have gone the way they hoped, but the team are winning over fans with their unusual team photo, carrying on a tradition started by Gareth Bale and the men's team in 2016. Wales were beaten 3-0 by the Netherlands on Saturday, but it was their tongue-in-cheek photo that got football fans talking. If traditional team snapshots have players standing arm-in-arm in two tight rows, striking identical poses usually with their game faces on, the Welsh one is none of the above. Lily Woodham is off to the side holding the team flag and Rhiannon Roberts is crouched in the otherwise all-standing back row. Only Josie Green and Hannah Cain are arm-in-arm. There is zero sense of formation, random spaces between players, and they all wear cheeky grins. "The team photo is indeed a tradition, by accident," a Wales team spokesman told Reuters. "Our teams aren't the best at organising themselves for team photos and it's seen amongst our men's and women's teams -- it's not really forced or overly arranged to be a mess." At the 2016 men's European Championship, Wales reached the semi-finals where they lost to eventual winners Portugal. They also went viral on social media for a haphazard pre-match photo, which the players insisted was accidental. A string of positive results followed, so rather than attempting to conform, they did the opposite and exaggerated their oddball photo setup. It has become part superstition, part running joke. "That's a nice tradition, wholesome, funny, harmless...I love it," someone posted on Reddit's soccer page. Another poked fun at the team's result against the Netherlands, writing: "Awesome. Also the gaps are representative of their defence right now." Wales, drawn into arguably the toughest group of Euro 2025, play France on Wednesday before facing England. REUTERS