Joy, tears and surprises at Star Awards 2024

The Star Awards 2024 on April 21 was a glitzy affair with wins both expected and unexpected.

The event kicked off at around 5pm with the Walk of Fame, where celebrities rocked red carpet outfits ranging from dazzling and jaw-dropping to bizarre and eyebrow-raising. 

Mediacorp Town Square was abuzz with excitement when TNP arrived at around 3.45pm. Fans held bouquets and placards while decked out in a myriad of colours such as purple and orange, undeterred by the humidity.

Some notable fan clubs represented were Romeo Tan’s The Juliet Club, Jeremy Chan’s Jermies, and Jernelle Oh’s Jernerals.

Hong Kong star Charmaine Sheh, Taiwanese actor Chen Bolin and K-pop Shinee’s Onew were also in attendance to present awards.

Here are the winners in the order they were presented:

Young Talent Award: Ang Yu Heng Tesla (Cash On Delivery)

Best Rising Star: Yunis To (Stranger In The Dark)

Most Popular Rising Stars: Ayden Sng, Zhang Ze Tong, Jernelle Oh

Best Supporting Actress: Aileen Tan (Shero)

Tan, 57, was visibly emotional after her win.

She told the media: “I was unwell during rehearsals and spoke with my doctor about extending my MC. He said I could still work after taking medication and I agreed that it wouldn’t matter since I might not even win.

“If you have seen my earlier interviews, you would know that I had no confidence in winning at all being up against such strong rivals. Everyone is a great actress and has been in the industry for over 30 years. I think winning this award takes luck and I am thankful that my luck has arrived.”

She added: “Because of your support, I have persevered for so many years.”

Best Supporting Actor: Zhang Ze Tong (All That Glitters)

“I’m sorry,” said 31-year-old Zhang with a laugh when asked about how he felt about “defeating” so many seniors.

“I was just saying the nominees range from having experience of five years to 39 years. I’m the one with the least experience. This is not the effort of just me alone. It is a group of people who make an actor, so I want to thank every single one of the cast and crew."

Zhang revealed the real recognition and “confidence-booster” for him, however, came from people telling him that he had done a great job even before his win.

“To me, those were invaluable and worth a lot more than the trophy itself,” he added.

Best Audio Personality: Dennis Chew (The Breakfast Quintet, Love 972) 

Best Programme Host (Entertainment & Infotainment): Quan Yi Fong (Hear U Out S4)

Special Achievement Award: Mark Lee

Lee, 55, said he was in disbelief when he was informed of his award: “I love my job. Whether it’s hosting, television or film, I love it. But I never thought I would win this award.”

Asked how he would be celebrating the momentous occasion, he quipped: “I will probably go home and turn in as old people cannot sleep too late and I have an early shift tomorrow. I will celebrate properly on Tuesday after a good sleep so that the mood is right.”

Best Actress: Kym Ng (Till The End)

Ng, 56, was her usual humorous self after bagging Best Actress. She elicited laughter among members of the media effortlessly with her candid and jovial demeanour. 

She revealed: “I didn’t think I would win this award, but I really wished and prayed very hard that I would.”

She also described her award as “encouragement and recognition”, adding: “It makes me want to do more acting, whether it’s the main or supporting role. I love it, I just love it.”

Best Actor: Jeremy Chan (All That Glitters)

Sheh announcing Chan’s name for the award was met with little surprise.

The 42-year-old, who underwent a dramatic transformation where he lost 16kg for his role, thanked “an important person in my life” after receiving his award.

Addressing his fellow artiste and wife of seven years Jesseca Liu, Chan said: “Thank you. You took care of me. You cooked eggs for me every day.”

To challenge himself, Chan hopes to play a role that has completely no dialogue next, relying only on his facial expressions and body language.

All-Time Favourite Artistes: Ann Kok, Jesseca Liu

Kok and Liu, who both received their 10th Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes in 2023, were crowned All-Time Favourite Artiste on this special night.

Liu, 45, paid tribute to Chan and said: “He has been an integral part of my growth and we’ve been on a beautiful journey together, so I’m happy to win this with him. It’s especially meaningful.

“We’ve actually discussed this last night and said we would probably go home to cook instant noodles with two eggs. Because of his role, he had been working out for some time and on a diet for ages, so it’s been a long time since he’s had snacks.

"Maybe I will reward him with two packets of fries."

Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes: 

• Chantalle Ng
• Ya Hui
• Carrie Wong
• He Ying Ying
• Chen Biyu
• Tasha Low
• Chen Ning
• Yvonne Lim
• Xixi Lim
• Hong Ling

Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes: 

• Romeo Tan
• Marcus Chin
• Jeff Goh
• Zhang Yaodong
• Pornsak
• Desmond Tan
• Benjamin Tan
• Shaun Chen
• James Seah
• Jeremy Chan