But according to the beautiful Daphne Iking, there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to celebrities.
She should know. Host of shows like The Breakfast Show, My Aussie Adventure and recently, Life As A Celebrity, Daphne does not just rub shoulder with the stars, she is a star herself.
As 8TV airs the Life As A Celebrity's last episode this Friday, Malay Mail had a chat with Daphne on her life as a celebrity.
What’s Life As A Celebrity really all about?
Life As A Celebrity is basically a show that talks about the everyday life of a celebrity. The !rst episode featured myself, supposedly, and then they offered me the job as a host. We featured a lot of celebrities like Erra Fazira, Stephanie Chai, Atilia Haron, Nazrudin Habibur Rahman and more. Ten celebrities were featured on this show, including myself.
I'm a journalist, I'm a producer, I'm a talent but I wouldn't call myself a celebrity. For me, a celebrity is someone who is celebrated by many. Datuk Siti Nurhaliza is a celebrity because she is regionally recognised. People know her even in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. If I go there, people will wonder 'Who is this Daphne Iking?' I haven't reached that level yet.
Is the life of a celebrity as glamorous as people think?
No. Like most of you may already know, recently we "ew to Australia to shoot the third season of My Aussie Adventure to be aired on TV3 soon. On the show, I asked those who joined us why they wanted to become a host.
They thought that being a host meant a life that's fun and filled with excitement.
They thought they would get to wear all these beautiful clothes, get a lot of free stuff and more.
When they get to taste a bit of our life hosting the programme, with rain and all, back to back shoots, working odd hours and feeling tired but still look as if we are having fun, it opens up their eyes that life as a celebrity is not as glamourous as they think.
You’ve met so many celebrities on this one show. Do you envy any one of them?Why?
I have to envy Naz. I'm not only saying this because he is my best friend, but because that boy is really smart. He's goofy but super intelligent. We knew each other even before we got into TV, and no, we were not dating back then.
He has grown from that spoiled boy, to this mature young man who is getting married next month. He's just an inspiration to work with. I started my !rst hosting job with him on Ringgit Sense, and we've been paired up for so many things. I envy his life only because he doesn't have to push so hard, unlike some of the othermale celebs.He doesn't like to walk on the red carpet, he likes to be low pro!le and yet he gets the recognition that he deserves.
That's inspiring for me. So, he's someone that I envy. He's got it all.
Tell us about your life, especially now after your marriage to businessman Ryan Chong and having a daughter, Isobel Daniella Iking-Chong. Has life changed for you?
Well, I won't say that my life is perfect right now.
There are ups and downs.
I know that I've grown because now, it's not just about me anymore, and I'm also dealing with being a parent.
Isobel came into our life unexpectedly. Shewas supposed to come two years in our plan, so when I found out four months after our marriage that I was pregnant, I was not prepared.
And naturally, it took me a while to get my parenting instincts going.
I have a few other issues to deal with like having inlaws, the difference in culture because my husband is pure Chinese, conservative and with a Christian background while I'm a Catholic girl with a Kadazan background and with a different culture and belief system altogether. So I have some adjustment issues. I love my in-laws.
Adapting to the situation is very challenging.
Other than that, after pregnancy, I had issues where my body was concerned.
In the line that I'm in, looks are important. Although I don't want to be like those stick thin models, when you're in a room full of them, you can't help but feel a little bit threatened especially when I know that I used to be that small. So when you look at yourself, you start to compare; all girls do that. But as far as I am concerned, I'm trying to stay positive and try to do something about it. So I guess, that's how my life has changed.
My body has changed and I'm trying to love my new body.
* Don't miss the last episode of Life As A Celebrity tomorrow at 10.30pm on 8TV.
Daphne will follow her best friend, Nazrudin Habibur Rahman (Naz) as he shows his racing skills on a go-kart at Sunway Extreme Park.
Naz will also discuss skin care for men, living a meaningful life and how to cool off froma busy day.
