Darren Lim Says He’s Only “Loaning” Wife Evelyn Tan To His Kids, Wants Them To Grow Up Faster So He Can “Have Her Back"

On the latest episode of A Night Under The Stars, host Darren Lim, 49, kept it in in the family. Literally. 

His guests were — drumroll — his wife, former Mediacorp actress Evelyn Tan, 45, and their four children Kristen, 16, Jairus, 14, Way, 12, and Elliot, eight.

Evelyn is a familiar face for fans of local TV back in the late nineties and early noughties. She got her start in showbiz after taking part in Star Search in 1997 and went on to star in hit dramas including Return of the Condor Heroes (1998) and Wok of Life (1999).

With her sweet girl-next-door looks and dulcet voice, which led her to release three solo albums, Evelyn quickly became one of Mediacorp’s most popular actresses. 

In 1998, she met Darren when they were both cast in the TV remake of musical Beauty World for the President's Star Charity Show. She played the protagonist Evelyn, and Darren, Ah Hock, her love interest.

The couple ended up dating for real and eventually tied the knot in 2004. She subsequently retired from showbiz to focus on family life.   

“It was a happy change," said Evelyn. "At that time, I felt like I had so many things to learn. Every day, I was basking in the joy of being a new mum. I think every day brings new happiness and although the idea of staying home with kids might seem simple, I feel there is boundless pleasure to it. Learning life lessons while facing challenges is something I want to pursue in life.”

As a stay-at-home mum, Evelyn is responsible for homeschooling her three older kids, Kristen, Jarius, and Way. Elliot, on the other hand, goes to a local primary school. 

The family’s first stop was an old bunker at the southern area of the Marsiling Tunnel which was used by the British troops to store their fuel reserve in the past.

Though the three older kids were excited to explore the tunnel, the youngest, Elliot, was terrified as he's “afraid of ghosts”.

While he started off clinging onto Evelyn for dear life, he eventually got brave enough to do some exploration on his own, well, under his mum's guidance, of course.

After checking out the Mongolian yurt they were going to be spending the night in, Darren whisked Evelyn away for some couple time... which turned out to be a woodworking class.

When Evelyn commented that the best part of the woodworking class was how calm it was, Darren joked that it's because the kids weren’t around.

“There have been many times when I pull Evelyn away while the kids are busy with something else,” he said.

“Sometimes, he’d tell the kids, ‘I’m only temporarily loaning you my wife, now hurry and grow up so I can have her back!” laughed Evelyn.

“I think Darren isn’t someone who seeks thrills, he seeks out experiences. Experiences have to appeal to him [whereas] I’m someone who’s more cautious and I only make decisions after careful consideration,” she added.

Photos: Darren Lim/ Instagram, meWATCH

You can catch A Night Under The Stars on meWATCH to find out which pair won the games between the four children, or watch the episode below.

A Night Under The Stars also airs every Wednesday at 8pm on Ch 8.