Yvonne Lim Initially Struggled When She Moved To Taiwan With Her Husband: "I Felt Really Down For A While"

After relocating to Taipei in 2015 for her husband, Mediacorp actress Yvonne Lim, 49, spent a decade raising her family there before returning to Singapore permanently in January 2025. Her two children, AJ, 11, and Alexa, 9, are now studying locally, and she has since resumed her acting career.

Although she'd moved for her husband, Alex Tien, 46, a businessman and former member of boyband B.A.D, some of Yvonne’s most formative years were spent in Taiwan. It was there that she became a mother, learned to cook, built her own circle of friends, and forged a life independent from everything she had once known.

On Those Days Those Places, Yvonne returned to Taiwan on her own to reminisce about the years she spent there. The family has kept their Taipei home, and still visit during the holidays to spend time with old friends. 

While catching up with the close friends she made there, it was clear that Yvonne was well-loved in Taiwan. Those close to her, including ex-Mediacorp host Jeff Wang, raved about her cooking skills and her natural talent for bringing everyone together.

She also met up with Taiwanese actress Sunnie Huang, whom she had been introduced to through a group of Alex’s sworn siblings. The two quickly connected and naturally became close friends.

While chatting, Sunnie asked Yvonne: “What made you fall for Alex?”

Without missing a beat, Yvonne said she was moved by his sincerity. 

When Sunnie remarked that Alex was very “daring” in pursuing Yvonne, she agreed, saying: “Yes, he even came all the way to China to pursue me.”

Yvonne also revealed that Alex wasn’t her type at all.

The pair first met when Alex’s band visited Singapore to promote an album and appear on a variety show. He asked for her number, but they didn’t begin dating right away.

“I already knew him when he was in B.A.D. He started pursuing me back then. At that time, his whole head was dyed blonde and he thought he looked so handsome. I didn’t like him back then because I just wasn’t into handsome guys,” she said.

“I don’t like guys who try too hard to look cool. I prefer someone more simple, someone more down-to-earth.”

Yvonne eventually accepted Alex’s confession and they tied the knot in 2014, almost a year after they first met. But she also credits Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao and his wife, Summer Lin, for giving them another opportunity to meet. 

“If they hadn’t held a concert in Singapore, [Alex] wouldn’t have gone. We wouldn’t have reconnected, and that would’ve been the end of it,” said Yvonne.

Moving countries for love, however, came with its fair share of challenges for Yvonne in the early days.

“Back then, when I gave up everything and moved back to Taipei with him, I felt really down for a while. I didn’t think too much about it, I just thought I’d be a good mum and a good wife. I gave up everything and stayed for two years. I thought I could handle two years,” recalled Yvonne.

“I didn’t expect to feel so unhappy when I was there. I felt like I had no friends and Alex is a very quiet person, he never took me out, and I took care of our kid at home every day. I think I developed a bit of depression at that time,” she continued.

Yvonne’s outlook gradually changed as she connected with Sunnie and other friends, giving her the sense that she could truly build a life in Taiwan. 

What was meant to be a two-year stay eventually stretched to a decade, leaving her with a lifetime of irreplaceable memories and experiences.