“We’re Totally Different”: Xiang Yun on How She and Edmund Chen Built a Strong Marriage Despite Personality Clashes

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Sometimes, love doesn’t always start the way we hope but as this story reminds us, it’s never too late to make things right.

On Thursday (Oct 9), 8days.sg attended the coffee session for Mediacorp’s upcoming drama The Gift Of Time, a moving tale that explores reconciliation, loss, and the wishes left unspoken.

The drama also marks the long-awaited return of Xie Shaoguang, 64, to local television after nearly two decades, a comeback fans have been eagerly waiting for.

There, we caught up with Xiang Yun, who plays the devoted wife of a terminally ill man portrayed by Chen Hanwei.

In The Gift of Time, the 63-year-old actress takes on one of her most gut-wrenching roles yet — a woman navigating her husband’s final days while still grieving the loss of their son.

The tear-jerking drama is as much about love and loss as it is about unwavering devotion. 

And let’s be honest: finding someone who will stand by you through thick and thin isn’t easy.

But for Xiang Yun, she’s found exactly that in real life — her husband of nearly four decades, Edmund Chen, 64.

Xiang Yun married the ex-Mediacorp actor in 1989 and they have two children — son, Chen Xi, 35, and daughter Yixin, 24, both of whom are also in showbiz. 

As Xiang Yun recounts how she and Edmund first met, there’s an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. The kind that makes you forget they’ve been married for 36 years. 

“My husband and I fell in love while filming the Mediacorp drama Patrol in 1989,” she says with a giggle that sounds more 27 than 63. “He took very good care of me, and we had many scenes together. Slowly, we developed feelings.”

She still remembers fondly how Edmund made the first move in the most old-school, heart-fluttering way.

“He kept asking me to share a cab home after work,” she laughs. “I said okay lor, because we both stayed in the East. Sometimes I’d even drop him off first before heading home, but after a while, I started thinking — why does he keep asking to share a cab?”

Turns out, Edmund knew exactly what he was doing — and the rest, as they say, is Mediacorp history.

Their love blossomed in the Mediacorp canteen when Edmund started waiting for her to have dinner during their meal breaks. 

It didn’t take long for sparks to fly. In fact, they only dated for a few months before deciding to tie the knot.

So how did she know he was the one?

“I thought he was very cute!” she says with a shy laugh. “Back in my era, people were very reserved. When this sunshine boy appeared, I was smitten. I just felt that my life would be filled with laughter if I spent it with someone so adorable.”

But life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect.

"In the end, I cried for a very long time!” she laughs to our surprise. 

Why?

“Okay, I’m very blissful and happy now!” Xiang Yun says with a laugh. “But every marriage has its adjustment phase. Our personalities are really very different — he’s super extroverted, and I’m the total opposite.”

After they registered for marriage, she quickly realised that Edmund’s way of thinking was "completely opposite" from hers — and their values were "totally different".

“But I’m from the older generation,” she adds thoughtfully. “I believe that once you’re in a marriage, you learn to cooperate, to compromise, and to understand. Sometimes, you even have to fix certain parts of your own personality too.”

"So we spent over twenty years finding the balance. Now I think it’s great because we really agree with each other and we’re glad we went through all these together."

Xiang Yun and Edmund may be one of local showbiz’s most beloved couples today but fun fact: they actually tried to keep their relationship under wraps back in the day.

When they were dating, the two mostly hung out quietly at each other’s homes, and even after tying the knot, had no plans to announce it publicly.

“When we went to the Ministry of Marriage, we thought we could just get a date and quietly wait to apply for our HDB flat,” she recalls with a laugh. “But once we got back to his house, reporters were already waiting at the void deck!”

Turns out, the media had somehow gotten wind of their big secret.

“I was so startled I actually cried when they asked, ‘Eh, you guys got married ah?’” she says, laughing at the memory. “I was terrified when I got home because I thought once the news got out, I’d lose all my acting jobs.”

Thankfully, her boss at the time stepped in to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"He said: 'Aiyah, you want to get married but you're scared people would know?' He gave me a huge confidence boost," says Xiang Yun.

That pep talk changed everything.

“Edmund and I decided that we’re already adults. There’s nothing wrong with getting married, and it was our choice. So we just owned it and admitted it,” she smiles.

And thank goodness they did. If they hadn’t, we wouldn’t be blessed with this cute love story right?