In 1993, Lina Ng shot to fame in Singapore’s entertainment industry after becoming the first runner-up in Mediacorp’s talent competition Star Search.

This highly successful debut launched the then 19-year-old’s career, and she went on to become one of the country’s most recognised actresses and television hosts.

Three years later, she won the “Top 5 Most Popular Female Artistes” award at the 1996 Star Awards. The accolade placed her alongside hot favourites like Zoe Tay and Fann Wong, and opened numerous doors for her to headline television dramas, host a variety of programmes and take on a wide range of external engagements.

Lina Ng winning “Top 5 Most Popular Female Artiste Award” at the Star Awards in 1996.

“Back then, the only entertainment that most people had access to was the television. So I became quite well known and people recognised me wherever I went,” said Lina Ng, now 52, in an interview with Salt&Light.

Along with the fame came good money. By the time she was 26 years old, she was drawing an almost five-figure monthly salary. It was “big money” to her at the time as she had not come from a well-to-do family.

With the money, she bought a new European car and was able to comfortably help pay for her home after marrying former national bowler Mike Lam in 2000.

Lina and Mike’s wedding in 2000. They are pictured with their then cell group leader Lim Lip Yong and his wife, Wendy, from Cornerstone Community Church.

Yet beneath all the outward glitz, glamour and success, Lina was struggling in the entertainment industry.

As a newcomer, she was unaware that her frank and outspoken personality sometimes led her to step on toes and offend others.

There were even times when the young actress went straight to her bosses to question why they had not given her the opportunity to take on certain projects.

“I was young and did not have the know-how or skills to survive in such a complex and competitive industry,” admitted Lina. “I couldn’t be my real self and felt a need to always be on guard, because I never knew who was my true friend.

“For instance, I might be sharing something honestly with someone, but the person could go share it with a reporter or boss in order to pull me down.”

Time to leave?

This, coupled with the long hours the industry demanded, led Lina to feel that she was ill-suited for the entertainment industry despite her passion for acting.

“After I signed my second contract for another three years with Mediacorp in 1996, I also heard God telling me that it was time to leave the industry,” said Lina, who became a Christian when she was a student at Geylang Methodist Secondary School.

However, she did not heed the prompting to quit. She was getting married soon and feared not being able to find another job to fund her upcoming expenses.

“City Beat” – one of the popular variety shows Lina (left) hosted then.

At the end of her second contract with Mediacorp, she joined the newly established SPH MediaWorks, which was launched by Singapore Press Holdings in 2000. At the time, the now-defunct broadcaster operated Channel U (Mandarin), Channel i (English) and two radio stations.

At SPH MediaWorks, Lina received a higher pay and had better opportunities. Despite this, she wrestled with a “lingering feeling” that God wanted her to leave, and did not feel at peace.

Some of the roles Lina has played over the years, including those in period dramas.

“During those years, I wasn’t happy. There was a sense of dissatisfaction, and something felt missing in my life. It could have been a dissatisfaction arising from me not obeying God, or a dissatisfaction arising from human nature – now that I had achieved what I had, would getting more money, popularity or awards make me happier? When would it be ever enough?” she reflected.

Closed door after closed door

Four years into her time at SPH MediaWorks, there was another shake-up in the media industry when her company merged with Mediacorp, consolidating Singapore’s free-to-air television and free newspaper operations.

Lina was one out of only two artistes who was not offered an acting contract in the newly merged company. She searched for other agencies and managers to take her on, but no doors opened.

“It was really traumatising and unbelievable. You put your heart and soul into many years of building something successful, but in one day it can all just be gone,” Lina said.

One of the first few promotional pictures that Lina took when she signed a full-time contract with Singapore Broadcasting Corporation as an actress.

Looking back now, however, she sees it as God’s hand of grace upon her life.

“If you can’t make a decision, then God has to make a decision for you. God can put a stop to something that is damaging to you,” said Lina, who by then had been in the entertainment industry for more than a decade.

Lina, with her firstborn, Jeriel.

With only an “O” Level certificate, Lina knew she had limited employment options and worried about how she would help to support her young family.

“I even thought about going to work at NTUC as a cashier because I used to do that when I was a student. But I still had my pride. It was a huge humbling process for me to come to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be acting anymore,” recalled Lina, who at the time was a young mother of a one-year-old son, Jeriel.

However, despite all this inner turmoil, she also felt God’s peace. “I knew that this was of His doing as He had already prompted me to leave years ago,” said Lina.

The “wilderness” years

The first thing Lina did after becoming unemployed was fulfil her childhood dream of enrolling in Bible school.

Though she had always wanted to attend Bible classes while she was a student at Geylang Methodist Secondary School, she had not been allowed to because her parent was not a believer.

During her three months at Tung Ling Bible School, she anchored herself in the Word of God, which gave her the strength and courage to seek Him for her next steps.

After completing Bible school, she decided to pursue a diploma in early childhood education and was later hired by an international preschool chain.

Lina with her husband and older two sons, Jeriel and Joel.

Lina with her youngest son, Samuel.

Little did she expect that God would use her new role as an associate Mandarin teacher to deal thoroughly with her pride.

“I was not the core teacher, so I had to take instructions from someone else. In the past, others had to listen to me. This time, I had to follow instructions,” said Lina. “It was also a humbling experience having to serve and please the parents of the children.”

Accustomed to being recognised in the entertainment industry, Lina also struggled with feeling overlooked and, at times, not being taken seriously as a preschool teacher.

“There were times when parents or even school staff talked down to me. There was also miscommunication. I didn’t want to bring work home because I wanted to spend more time with my children. But if I submitted my curriculum materials early to the core teacher and she herself had not done hers yet, she misunderstood my intentions and thought I was trying to show off,” she said.

One of the appreciation cards that Lina received while she worked as a preschool teacher.

During those years in what she describes as the “wilderness”, Lina cried out to God.

“I asked God, ‘Why is it that when others work hard, they can enjoy a good life in retirement? But for me, it seems the opposite. I worked hard, reached the peak of my career, and from then on everything seemed to go downhill,’” said Lina, who worships at Cornerstone Community Church.

Apart from wrestling with her identity, Lina also struggled to adjust to a reduced income. She could no longer afford luxurious holidays or even a cup of Starbucks coffee.

“There were times when I wanted a nice drink but that would bust my daily budget, so I had kopitiam coffee instead,” she recalled.

Yet during that time, Lina experienced God’s provision.

“Whenever I needed money, a freelance gig – whether a variety show or cooking segment – would just come in for me. These timely ad-hoc gigs helped me to earn extra pocket money during the weekends,” she said.

A liberating breakthrough

After three years as a preschool teacher, Lina left the school and partnered fellow actress Evelyn Tan to provide Mandarin enrichment programmes for preschools.

In 2015 and 2016, she was also offered a handful of minor acting roles. However, she did not expect that taking up these roles would once again stir feelings of self-pity and pride within her.

“All the newcomers were A-list artistes, but they didn’t know who I was because I hadn’t acted in more than a decade. I felt sorry for myself because I was no longer treated the way I used to be. Yet I also hated these feelings that were surfacing within me,” said Lina candidly.

The diversity of the acting roles that Lina used to take up.

In prayer, she surrendered all those feelings to God.

“I told God I really didn’t want to feel like that. I asked Him if it was possible to let me just be happy to go back to acting without thinking about or feeling these negative things,” she said.

It was then that her breakthrough came, as God helped her to reframe her perspective.

Firstly, she realised that she was doing what she loves to do. Secondly, she was earning a living while doing so.

“When I focused on those two aspects, suddenly I felt liberated. I didn’t care about what others thought about me anymore. I realised that my God also humbled Himself to come and serve Man. His example gave me the courage that I am not alone. If I can’t do it, He will give me the strength to do it,” said Lina.

“God really dealt with my pride during those 13 long years of being in the wilderness,” she added.

In 2017, Lina was invited to star as the fiercely protective and independent super-mum “Chae Lian” in the popular Mediacorp Channel 5 drama series Lion Mums. She was a principal cast member from Season 2 to 4.

Lina (in blue) acting in a scene of local English drama Lion Mums.

Two years later, she clinched the “Top 10 Most Popular Artiste” award at the Star Awards 2019, alongside Top 10 regulars like Rebecca Lim, Felicia Chin and Paige Chua. She had last won a variation of the award more than two decades ago in 1996.

While she was backstage, thanking God in her heart for her win, she heard God say to her: “This is my restoration for you.”

“I knew He was referring to how I tried to walk faithfully with Him during those 13 years of being in the wilderness, trusting Him and not doubting Him,” said Lina.

“I knew God as a Provider, as a Healer, but it was only later on that I began to understand that God is a God of restoration too, that He can restore you to your original position,” she added.

Lina’s trophies from the 1996 and 2019 Star Awards.

A God of restoration

Following the success of Lion Mums, Lina was given the opportunity to act in another local drama, Last Madame.

“I was given a supporting role of the majie (domestic servant) of a brothel mamasan (played by leading actress Joanne Peh). I was really happy doing so because wherever the mamasan goes, I just follow, so I could clock more days and hours and earn more money,” said Lina with a laugh.

Lina’s supporting role in the Last Madame drama won her two top Asian awards.

She did not think much of her performance, but to her surprise, she won two major acting awards for her role. In 2020, she won the Asian Academy Creative Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The following year, she was also named the Best Supporting Actress at the 25^th Asian Television Awards.

To date, she is the first and only artiste from Singapore to have won both awards.

Lina receiving her award at the Asian Academy Creative Award in 2020.

During her acceptance speeches, Lina gave glory to God by referencing the Parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16, which Jesus used to teach His disciples that those who can be trusted with little will also be trusted with much.

In the days following her dual-win, Lina prayed that God would help her shine in her existing projects so that she would be able to win more awards for Him.

In hindsight, she reflected: “I had become proud again. I thought that acting was a platform that God wanted me to hold on to so that I could use it for His glory.” 

In that moment, she heard God rebuking her: “What makes you feel you need to be a somebody to glorify Me?”

Finding true purpose 

That day, Lina repented before God. She knew that her greed for fame and recognition had crept in again.

“That is why whenever I go back and act, I am very careful about the intention behind it and am selective about the roles that I take up. I also started to ask God what was His purpose in bringing me back to the industry,” she said.

A few years ago, she gained clarity on her purpose after attending a friend’s funeral.

As Lina heard a string of eulogies being shared, she pondered on how she would like to be remembered after her demise.

Young Lina with some photo collages made by a fan.

Over the next few days, she asked God how He wanted her to live her life so that He, rather than her achievements, would define the legacy she left behind.

He gave her a simple answer: “I just want you to be a positive influence in the entertainment industry.”

That calling immediately resonated with her.

“Having had my own difficult and sad experiences in the past, I know it’s an industry that people struggle in. There will be times when people feel discouraged or bitter at the lack of opportunities, or the circumstances that they find themselves in,” said Lina.

“I am built to be a very bubbly person, so perhaps I can bring some positivity and joy to the people I work with and through the projects I take on.”

For instance, she sometimes brings fruits or snacks for those working on set with her. She also tries to tell jokes, offer a listening ear and encourage her co-workers who may be feeling weary.

“It is no longer just about me being there because I like acting or because it earns me some money. I must be able to share the joy that I have in my life,” said Lina.

Looking back, she sees with clarity God’s fingerprints in her life, especially in those years that she struggled with her identity, finances and obscurity.

“I spent 13 years in the ‘wilderness’ before I found my true purpose,” she said. “For every hurdle or trial that I’ve gone through, I know very well that He was not punishing me. Instead, He wanted to reveal a part of Himself to me.

“God never promised us a smooth and comfortable life, but He did promise that He will always walk with us.”

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