Joel Choo On How His Fianceé Wasn’t Star-Struck When She Met His Dad Zhu Houren, And How Her Engagement Ring Is A “Hand-Me-Down” From His Grandma

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Surprise! Local actor and second-gen celeb Joel Choo is off the market.

The 29-year-old sprung a Monday surprise on everyone when he announced on social media that he’s engaged and is set to tie the knot in December this year. 

Now, you know the drill. Of course we had to get all kaypoh and grab the Titoudao: Dawn Of A New Stage actor for a quick chat about his missus-to-be.

Here’s what we know about Joel and his wife-to-be: They’ve been dating for 10 years, and first met at church. She’s a recent graduate student who just completed her Masters, and no, Joel’s not quite comfortable sharing her age yet.

She’s real close with his family. Joel’s parents — Mediacorp veteran actor Zhu Houren, 68, and his wife Vera — were with them in Japan when Joel popped the question last December. [Ed: Yes, he's kept his engagement a secret for half a year.] 

And that gorgeous ring you see in the picture above is actually a “hand-me-down ring” (Joel’s words, not ours) from Joel’s grandmother. 

This was how Joel knew his fiancée is “the one” for him.

“I think 'cos she's very close to my family. And I've seen the way she interacts with my family and my extended family. There's this very warm feeling that I feel every time inside that makes me think that she's perfect for me and my family as well," he told 8days.sg in a phone interview.

He added: "We always attend weddings together. Every time, I get very emotional and very happy and I can't wait to see myself with her up there."

Still curious about the couple? Read on to find out more, including how Zhu Houren’s already choped 10 tables at Joel’s 30-table wedding so that he can celebrate with his family and showbiz friends.

8DAYS.SG: Congrats on your engagement! Why the decision to keep the relationship under wraps for so long? 

JOEL CHOO: Thanks, I think it’s mainly to protect her lah, and her privacy and all.

Will she continue to keep her identity secret like Mrs Desmond Tan, or will you slowly ease her into the public eye?

We haven't decided yet. To be honest, when we go out, we don't really... intentionally hide ourselves, we still go out like a normal couple.

How did she react when she found out that your dad is Zhu Houren?

She wasn't star-struck or anything. I think she just viewed my dad as a father first, and respected him as a boyfriend's father instead of a celebrity. So I think it was very nice.

Were either of you nervous when you first met each other’s parents?

I was more nervous because I'm not very good with new people (laughs). It took a bit of time to get used to her side of the family. For her, she was very comfortable… it’s also 'cos my parents are very outspoken and very friendly people. So they made the whole interaction very, very comfortable with her as well.

Tell us more about the proposal. It was near Mount Fuji, and you fished out this huge fake diamond ring when you proposed?

Yeah, I put the ring at the bottom of my backpack covered by my winter clothes so it was hidden throughout the whole trip. I was very stressed. I didn't know proposing was such a stressful thing 'cos you need to have the perfect moment since you only have one chance.

Before going there, I looked through YouTube for videos on the best place to propose around Mount Fuji. 

We got there about 2pm. I thought that would be the best time 'cos there wouldn't be any backlight but the sun was too bright. So we had to start finding excuses. My parents were there and 'cos they knew I was going to propose, they started making excuses to go to different cafes to sit around so we could wait till 5pm, which was when the sun was more gentle. It was a lot of thinking on the go and a lot of improvising.

I actually had a [real] ring on standby as well and she kind of knows how it looks like 'cos it's actually a hand-me-down ring from my grandma. But I wanted to give her an additional surprise so that's why I incorporated this giant ring. 

My plan was just to bring the ring down and then maybe throw it away but there's a sentimental value to it now. I had to bring it back to Singapore as well. I think it's going to be a decoration piece at the reception.

Did she suspect a proposal was coming?

When we talked about [taking the next step in our relationship], I promised her that I would propose to her by the end of last year. Our trip to Japan was going to extend to January [from December] so it's quite obvious [that I was going to propose during the trip].

When did you guys start seriously talking about marriage and getting engaged?

I think we started talking about it before Covid. We didn't really delve deep into the planning, but we talked about marriage and family stuff. We were on the same page. We only started getting into the details maybe two years ago.

Tell us more about the ring from your grandmother. Is it a family heirloom?

The ring was passed to my mom along with a couple of other rings. One of it was given to my brother to use as a proposal ring, and the other was given to me.

You mentioned that your fiancee knew about the ring already, how did you bring it up initially?

So we were ring shopping and I told her that I have this hand-me-down [ring]. And she said: ‘Oh okay,  that's great!

But the ring looks kind of vintage, especially its crowning, so I wasn’t sure if I should keep it as it is or get it re-crowned. There was a back-and-forth discussion with her 'cos I wanted it to be the perfect moment. I asked her if she was okay with the ring in its original state. We had to get it re-crowned and re-shaped in the end 'cos it kind of broke due to age.

You got engaged in December last year, and plan to marry in December this year as well. Does the month have a special significance for the two of you?

So the month and the day [of the proposal and wedding] is like our anniversary. It’s actually the first time we went out to watch a movie together.

How are the plans for your wedding coming along?

We actually booked the location already. It's going to be a banquet with at least 30 tables, I think. 

A lot of family from overseas will be coming over. My dad will also be inviting a lot of his media friends. Two years ago, when it was my brother's wedding, there were Covid restrictions, so we weren't allowed to invite a lot of relatives and friends. 

I think this time round, my parents they want to invite more people. My dad has been telling me that he’s going to need at least 10 tables and so on.  My mom’s the same so it's a bit overwhelming. I haven't really gone into wedding planning mode (laughs).

Photos: Joel Choo, Joel Choo/Instagram