Star Awards 2026 Host Cheryl Chou On Those Rumours She’s Dating Zhang Zetong: "I've Been Seeing Him Non-Stop At Work"

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Earlier this week, it was announced that Mediacorp actress Cheryl Chou will be one of the three hosts for Star Awards 2026, which takes place on April 19 at The Theatre at Mediacorp.

This marks Cheryl’s first time hosting a live awards ceremony. She will be joined by Mediacorp actor Zhang Zetong, who is also making his hosting debut, and veteran host Guo Liang.

8days.sg spoke to the 30-year-old Miss Universe Singapore 2016 winner yesterday (Apr 1), where she shared her initial reaction to the news back in early February.

“I think it was a bunch of nerves that I couldn’t quite process,” she said. “Every year, attending Star Awards is just a yearly gathering for us. But this year, it feels like I’m stepping into a different role.”

Now that she’s had time to take it all in, the nerves have settled, and Cheryl says she feels “very honoured”.

As a first-time host, stepping onto the same stage as someone as experienced as Guo Liang could understandably feel daunting. But Cheryl says the veteran presenter has been nothing but supportive.

“He’s very nurturing and doesn’t impose what he thinks you should be,” she shared. “During meetings, he doesn’t say, ‘You must be like this or that.’”

Instead, Guo Liang offers guidance while encouraging them to develop their own style, rather than conforming to expectations.

“I really enjoy working with him. He’s so experienced, so wise, and just very good at what he does. It’s very eye-opening every time.”

Cheryl has clearly been throwing herself fully into her hosting duties — so much so that she momentarily forgot she is also nominated for Best Actress.

The actress earned the nod for her performance in Perfectly Imperfect, where she played two vastly different roles: a teacher and a prostitute. She is up against Chantalle Ng (Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story), Hong Ling (The Spirit Hunter), Jesseca Liu (Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story) and Tasha Low (Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story).

“It’s 18 days to Star Awards, and all our meetings have been about hosting,” she said. “It wasn’t until I spoke to a media outlet that I was reminded I’m also nominated for Best Actress.”

“It took me a while and I was like, ‘Oh yes, I am!’” she laughed.

In fact, Cheryl has been so focused on preparing for the show that she has yet to find her outfit for the Walk of Fame red carpet.

“I just had a meeting with my team and they asked, ‘You’re not nervous?’ And I was like, ‘No lah, it’s okay,’” she said with a laugh.

As this is her first acting nomination, Cheryl says she is choosing to take things in stride.

“I’ll just leave it to fate and not put too much pressure on myself,” she said.

When asked if she sees herself as the next-generation “Ah Jie”, Cheryl laughed off the idea.

“To be very honest — and I’m not just saying this — it’s not something that’s at the forefront of my goals. I just want to know that I’ve done a good job.”

Cheryl and Zetong are no strangers to working together. Both were ambassadors for Malaysian luxury brand BONIA, and have co-starred in Perfectly Imperfect as well as the upcoming Mediacorp dystopian crime trilogy The Leftovers.

Naturally, this has led to rumours that the two may be dating in real life.

Bursting into laughter, Cheryl said: “Undeniably, we’ve been working together since the end of 2024. For almost a year and a half, I’ve been seeing him at work non-stop. Naturally, all of us were always together in that sense.”

“I mean, do what you may with that information,” she added with a grin. “We’ve been a CP (couple pairing) since 2024, and people will continue to see us as a pair till 2027, since The Leftovers is a three-season project.”

Make of that what you will.