Quan Yi Fong is a familiar face — or voice — to a lot of Singaporeans.

After all, the 46-year-old actress/host has graced television screens for close to 30 years now.

Growing up with the media industry

And while we can go on and on about her achievements in showbiz, there's more to Quan than her colourful career.

As we grew up seeing her on our television screens, Quan said that she has spent her youth in the media industry.

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Having been in the industry since she was 17 years old, she started her career by trying out many different jobs.

She has been a temporary actress and even an extra on television series before enrolling herself into Mediacorp's (then called SBC, or Singapore Broadcasting Corporation) first host training course.

Reminiscing the past, she said that it was "hard" for new actors back then as they could only learn and grow by themselves.

"Now, new actors are very lucky. They have more resources to help them learn and improve their craft."

She also considers artistes in Singapore to be "quite lucky" as they are well taken care of.

But Quan also emphasised that this doesn't mean that artistes can "just relax." Instead, they must constantly strive to improve themselves.

In her 28 years as a celebrity, she has left the media company on two occasions.

Somehow, however, she would always end up returning to what she loves doing the most: Hosting.

"It's almost been 30 years and although I've been through some ups and downs, I'm thankful for the staff that have stayed and cared with me all these years."

Like mother, like daughter

Apart from her shows, Quan also juggles her responsibility as a mother to Eleanor Lee, who turns 21 this year.

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And just like her mother, Lee entered showbiz at a young age.

When she was 16 years old, Lee starred in her first commercial in China — an Apple commercial, no less.

Now, she has made a name for herself China, having starred in a string of television series, some of them as lead roles.

Watches daughter's shows together

Of course, this meant that Quan would have less time to spend with her daughter.

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But with the circuit breaker measures last time, she said that she had more time to chat with her daughter.

Affectionately calling her daughter mei mei (Chinese for younger sister), Quan said,

"Actually, it's just as normal as it was just that we have more time to chat. Recently, mei mei filmed three new dramas so we spent our time watching it together."

Apart from spending quality time with Lee during the circuit breaker, Quan has also done plenty of reading and exercising in her free time.

To bring some entertainment to her followers, she even held a few Instagram Live sessions, including one with celebrity pal Bryan Wong.

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Asking fellow celebrities tough questions

Of course, having been in the industry for so long, she has forged friendships with a lot of fellow artistes.

If you've ever wondered what heart-to-heart talk celebrities engage in, Quan's latest interview series "Hear U Out" will give you a glimpse of it.

This is her first project after resting for almost half a year.

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She has invited some of her celebrity friends onto the 26-episode series, including Fann Wong, Tay Ping Hui and Xiaxue.

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On the show, she has delved into more personal affairs, including Fann's experience when her husband was incarcerated.

Speaking of her experience hosting this series, she said that she has learnt a lot about and from the celebrities, as everyone has been through different experiences.

"Maybe it’s because we’re all artists, and there are some things that we can’t say or do. But after hearing from them personally, I realise that I have the same ideas as them. They help me realise that there’s a different side to me too. So in the end, I think we all have a similar mindset."

Who's her closest celebrity friend?

While on the topic of celebrity friends, we managed to ask her one final important question: Who does she consider her closest friends in the industry?

Although it was difficult for her to choose, she considers fellow Mediacorp celebrities [Bryan] Wong and Kym Ng as some of her closest friends in the industry.

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Even though they don't get to see each other as much, especially now, she appreciates their friendship all the same.

"Friends must be able to make you smile, give you hugs and surround you with positive energy and encouragement. We don’t meet up very often, but once we do, we will chat non-stop. If I ever need to talk to someone, they will always give me encouragement and advice."

Ng has also named Quan as her best hosting partner previously:

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Top image from @quanyifong on Instagram