'I would be crying every day during lunch': Rebecca Lim recalls feeling inadequate in 1st acting role after childbirth, Entertainment News
The 38-year-old got candid in the recent episode of Rachel Lim's podcast Who We Are released yesterday (Aug 12). In the hour-long video, she talked about her previous relationships, losing her father, beauty standards and also if she had always wanted to be a mum.
Rebecca told Rachel — who is the co-founder of fashion brand Love, Bonito — that she never had the "urge" to be a mum and was happy being the "funty" (fun aunty) of her family.
"I just wanted to be the fun aunty to play [with the children]... I was very contented doing that, spoiling them, giving them the lollipop, ice cream, things that their parents would never allow them to eat. I love that role," she laughed.
However, she shared that meeting her husband, corporate professional Matthew Webster, changed her perspective of life.
She said: "I guess I met the right person at the right time. Matthew and I always talked about it, if we had met each other maybe 10 years ago, our relationship might not have worked out. We met each other when we were both ready at the perfect time for each other."
Rebecca added that Webster, whom she married in 2022, brought her peace and security in ways she had never felt before, which made her consider having a family with him. 'I didn't feel sexy at all, I felt horrible'
Rebecca also got candid about her pregnancy; while she was "enjoying every moment of being pregnant", she wasn't prepared for the "nasty parts of motherhood".
Rebecca, who gave birth to a son last January through natural delivery, recounted: "The recovery was so painful because I've always been very independent. I like to do things myself, I don't like other people doing things for me.
"During the recovery, I couldn't even walk to the toilet properly and the next day in the hospital, the nurse had to shower me. Oh my gosh, I wouldn't have imagined that... and I'm like, 'Oh dear, what did I get myself into?'"
She added she was worried about lagging behind in recovery and getting back into shape.
"I was perspiring and panting all the time just getting out of the shower, when I can finally shower after the confinement... I smelled like milk and saliva, and I didn't feel sexy at all, I felt horrible," she said, adding that she felt this way for a couple of months before things got better for her.
Rebecca returned to the camera two months after giving birth for Star Awards 2024 and accepted a hosting gig another two months later for her talk show With Love, Becks season 2. The latter was tough for her, especially when facing female colleagues who looked "absolutely, wonderfully gorgeous".
She also had to manage time for pumping milk as a breastfeeding mum.
Reflecting on her situation then, she thought she shouldn't have been so harsh on herself, especially about attending the Star Awards, where she had underestimated the stress of turning up and looking good for the event. 'I didn't feel 100 per cent at work'
Rebecca also spoke about mum guilt when she first began filming her upcoming English long-form drama Aunty Lee's Deadly Delights, which wrapped recently after nine months.
She recounted: "When I started filming, my son was maybe about seven months old. During the first two weeks of filming, I would be crying every day during lunch because I would be pumping [milk] in the room by myself and having lunch by myself.
"And it's not because I was alone that I was crying, it was more because I didn't feel 100 per cent at work... I could not memorise my lines as well as I did."
Rebecca added she didn't feel she could totally concentrate at work and at the same time she couldn't feel "100 per cent" as a mother because she had left her son at home.
She elaborated: "So I'm not here, not there. I felt terrible, guilty and inadequate as an actor and as a mother then, but it took me a few months to slowly get back into the swing of things and I really had to consciously make an effort to remind myself to be 100 per cent wherever I am."
Now when she is at work, she doesn't think about her boy and concentrates fully on work, and likewise, when she is at home, she leaves her phone aside to fully spend time with him.
"It has helped me so much because being at work and being 100 per cent there, I'm recharging and refueling myself, so that when I go home, I can be 100 per cent with my son... that has helped me find my new equilibrium in my life as a mum," Rebecca added.
[[nid:721300]]
yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
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Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
Actress Rebecca Lim says husband brought her peace, security she's never had
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Local actress Rebecca Lim never had the desire to become a mother. Not once in her past relationships did she entertain thoughts of starting a family with her partners. But the 38-year-old star began thinking she could be a parent after marrying Mr Matthew Webster. She married Mr Webster, a Singaporean of British-Chinese descent, in 2022. The couple now have a 1½-year-old son. Lim opened up about her life struggles in a candid interview on the podcast Who We Are With Rachel Lim. The hour-long episode with the co-founder of local fashion brand Love, Bonito was streamed on YouTube and Spotify on Aug 12. '(Matthew) gave me the peace and security I never had, and it made me think maybe I can have a family with this man,' Lim said. The actress also discussed her ongoing issues with mum guilt when she returned to the entertainment industry to film a long-form English drama in July 2024. Her son was then about seven months old. Filming went on for nine months, and Lim found herself crying and struggling with inadequacy in the initial weeks. Besides not being able to memorise her lines because of 'brain fog', she felt stressed because 'physically, you don't look 100 per cent'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead: Analysts Singapore HSA seeks Kpod investigators to arrest abusers, conduct anti-trafficking ops Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction Opinion The 30s are heavy: Understanding suicide in Singapore's young adults Asia Malaysia's anti-graft agency busts arms smuggling ring masterminded by senior military officers Singapore 4 taken to hospital after accident near Sports Hub, including 2 rescued with hydraulic tools Asia Mixed reactions among Malaysia drivers on S'pore move to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story 'Then while I'm at work, I don't feel 100 per cent a mother because I'm leaving my son at home,' she said, adding that she was 'not here, not there'. 'I felt terrible, guilty and inadequate as an actor and as a mother then. It took me a few months to slowly get back into the swing of things. I think what motherhood has taught me is to be 100 per cent present.' Lim, who recently hosted the variety show With Love, Becks (2024), also addressed the image pressures she faced post-partum, especially when she made her first public appearance at Star Awards 2024. 'It was two months after giving birth, and you face your female colleagues who all looked gorgeous,' she recalled. 'Why do I still look like that? Why can't I find a dress to fit into? I underestimated the stress of having to turn up looking good for the event.' Lim admitted that, in hindsight, she should not have emphasised how she looked and stressed herself out. She has now found a 'new equilibrium' as a mum, and also learnt to embrace ageing gracefully. She said: 'That sense of insecurity will never go away because you're constantly exposed. But what's important is how you snap out of it.'
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5 days ago
- AsiaOne
Jacelyn Tay gifts her Star Awards trophies to long-time fan, Entertainment News
Former Mediacorp actress Jacelyn Tay took to Instagram today (Aug 13) to share that she has gifted two of her Star Awards trophies to a long-time fan. In the accompanying Reel, the 50-year-old said: "I gifted these to one of my fans who made plastic versions in 1998 and 1999 when I won my first Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes and the Most Popular Female Artiste in Taiwan awards. He had them spray-painted and gold-chromed by professionals, which cost him a bomb. He was just a student. "For 26 years with the gold chrome worn off, he still kept them. This September marks his 40th birthday. He reached out to me on Instagram and I thought, 'Such love needs to be honoured.' Life is beautiful only when we truly love." She attached an image of the fan's replica trophies atop various old magazines featuring Jacelyn on their covers. In her post's caption, Jacelyn also mentioned that she now adopts a minimalist approach in life, now "valuing things more" and seeking to "bring eternity in them". She said: "And the only eternity is love and memories. For the next decades of my life, I seek to build these two. My trophies are my past glory. I cherish them, hence I share them with fans who cherish them, maybe more than I do. I still carry the title I earned, with or without the trophies. Now, they are refreshed because they are in the good hands of another being who loves them too. Isn't it beautiful?" Jacelyn's showbiz career was kickstarted when she was crowned the female champion of Star Search 1995. Some of her iconic roles include He Xiangu in Legend of the Eight Immortals (1998) and Dongfang Bubai in The Legendary Swordsman (2000). She left Mediacorp in 2006, though she acted in several dramas in subsequent years. She is currently a certified professional holistic wellness coach, who founded Body Inc in 2006. [[nid:721300]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- AsiaOne
'I would be crying every day during lunch': Rebecca Lim recalls feeling inadequate in 1st acting role after childbirth, Entertainment News
While local actress Rebecca Lim embraces motherhood now, there was once when she had never imagined herself as a parent. The 38-year-old got candid in the recent episode of Rachel Lim's podcast Who We Are released yesterday (Aug 12). In the hour-long video, she talked about her previous relationships, losing her father, beauty standards and also if she had always wanted to be a mum. Rebecca told Rachel — who is the co-founder of fashion brand Love, Bonito — that she never had the "urge" to be a mum and was happy being the "funty" (fun aunty) of her family. "I just wanted to be the fun aunty to play [with the children]... I was very contented doing that, spoiling them, giving them the lollipop, ice cream, things that their parents would never allow them to eat. I love that role," she laughed. However, she shared that meeting her husband, corporate professional Matthew Webster, changed her perspective of life. She said: "I guess I met the right person at the right time. Matthew and I always talked about it, if we had met each other maybe 10 years ago, our relationship might not have worked out. We met each other when we were both ready at the perfect time for each other." Rebecca added that Webster, whom she married in 2022, brought her peace and security in ways she had never felt before, which made her consider having a family with him. 'I didn't feel sexy at all, I felt horrible' Rebecca also got candid about her pregnancy; while she was "enjoying every moment of being pregnant", she wasn't prepared for the "nasty parts of motherhood". Rebecca, who gave birth to a son last January through natural delivery, recounted: "The recovery was so painful because I've always been very independent. I like to do things myself, I don't like other people doing things for me. "During the recovery, I couldn't even walk to the toilet properly and the next day in the hospital, the nurse had to shower me. Oh my gosh, I wouldn't have imagined that... and I'm like, 'Oh dear, what did I get myself into?'" She added she was worried about lagging behind in recovery and getting back into shape. "I was perspiring and panting all the time just getting out of the shower, when I can finally shower after the confinement... I smelled like milk and saliva, and I didn't feel sexy at all, I felt horrible," she said, adding that she felt this way for a couple of months before things got better for her. Rebecca returned to the camera two months after giving birth for Star Awards 2024 and accepted a hosting gig another two months later for her talk show With Love, Becks season 2. The latter was tough for her, especially when facing female colleagues who looked "absolutely, wonderfully gorgeous". She also had to manage time for pumping milk as a breastfeeding mum. Reflecting on her situation then, she thought she shouldn't have been so harsh on herself, especially about attending the Star Awards, where she had underestimated the stress of turning up and looking good for the event. 'I didn't feel 100 per cent at work' Rebecca also spoke about mum guilt when she first began filming her upcoming English long-form drama Aunty Lee's Deadly Delights, which wrapped recently after nine months. She recounted: "When I started filming, my son was maybe about seven months old. During the first two weeks of filming, I would be crying every day during lunch because I would be pumping [milk] in the room by myself and having lunch by myself. "And it's not because I was alone that I was crying, it was more because I didn't feel 100 per cent at work... I could not memorise my lines as well as I did." Rebecca added she didn't feel she could totally concentrate at work and at the same time she couldn't feel "100 per cent" as a mother because she had left her son at home. She elaborated: "So I'm not here, not there. I felt terrible, guilty and inadequate as an actor and as a mother then, but it took me a few months to slowly get back into the swing of things and I really had to consciously make an effort to remind myself to be 100 per cent wherever I am." Now when she is at work, she doesn't think about her boy and concentrates fully on work, and likewise, when she is at home, she leaves her phone aside to fully spend time with him. "It has helped me so much because being at work and being 100 per cent there, I'm recharging and refueling myself, so that when I go home, I can be 100 per cent with my son... that has helped me find my new equilibrium in my life as a mum," Rebecca added. [[nid:721300]]
