Flame Awards
FTA AWARD (Foreign Talent Appreciation)
JOANNE PEH
December 27, 2009
IF THE Flame Awards should ever decide to go the boring route, we’d definitely bestow this couple the Most Sporting Award.
Because while fellow nominee Jamie Yeo thought this category bordered on racism (lighten up, babe!), actress Joanne Peh and her US actor-beau Bobby Tonelli took it in fantastic humour.
Joanne, 26, was happy to be nominated and thrilled to have won.
They received 71 votes from our readers, while TV presenter Jamie and boyfriend Thorsten Nolte had 51. Local blogger Xiaxue and fiance Mike Sayre rounded up 22 votes.
‘It’s quite a bizarre thing but I’m happy because it means people like us,’ Joanne said with a laugh.
Bobby – who accepted the award on Joanne’s behalf as she couldn’t take time off her her busy filming schedule – added good-naturedly in a separate interview: ‘The award is unique.
‘I don’t know how I’m going to put this on my mantel, so I’ll put it in my kitchen drawer.
‘I have an electric stove but I’ll find a use for it.’
Relieved
He also sounded relieved when he told us that Joanne has never been called a Sarong Party Girl (SPG), a colloquial term used to refer to Singaporean women who only like Caucasian men.
He, too, has never been called a Caucasian flirt preying on local girls.
Though the Little Nyonya co-stars were previously reluctant to discuss their relationship with the media, the FTA win seems to have encouraged them to open up.
Joanne said: ‘It’s been a very, very good year and I’m sure Bobby’s played a huge part in this. Him being in my life has got a positive impact on me and everything fell into place.’
She told us her romance with the 34-year-old hunk is at a ‘very comfortable stage’ and they are enjoying each other’s company.
People have told her she’s a different person now, and she thinks she’s become more confident, womanly and comfortable with herself.
‘Being together (with Bobby) plays a part. When you are really happy and emotionally stable, it shows in every aspect of your life. It’s something that radiates from within,’ she said.
Bobby heaped compliments on Joanne too – she’s very giving, humble, hardworking and ‘has the things you look for in a life partner’.
He added: ‘She’s the type of girlfriend whom guys wish they had. We just clicked. She helps me to better myself, see my own flaws, adapt to the local culture and develop patience.’
And if their six-month relationship continues to go smoothly, Bobby admitted he would even consider settling down in Singapore for Joanne.
However, it hasn’t been easy juggling romance and career.
Bobby had been working in Hong Kong and China since October and just returned recently. During his absence, the lovebirds e-mailed and spoke over the phone every day.
Both of them also have to shoot through the festive season.
He’s filming the new Channel 8 drama New Beginnings and the second season of Channel 5′s Fighting Spiders.
Joanne is currently working 13-hour days due to the Channel 8 drama Your Hand In Mine and the Channel 8 Telemovies Showcase.
Kwok Kar Peng
The NewPaper