TV actress Rebecca Lim retiring

The Mediacorp A-lister makes the surprise announcement on her Instagram account

From a low-key beginning, Rebecca Lim has gone on to win top acting awards here and in the region. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER FILE

In a shock move, popular and acclaimed Mediacorp actress Rebecca Lim announced her retirement on her verified Instagram account @limrebecca.

But she could not be reached for comment and to clarify if she meant she intended to retire from acting or show business.

Yesterday morning, the 29-year- old, who has won top acting awards here and in the region, posted a picture of herself smiling and holding a sparkler, writing: "Hi everyone. I've decided to do something that will change my life. I have been thinking about it for a while now as I know it has to be done. I'm all set, and I'm retiring. I know you have questions for me and I will answer them real soon. Meanwhile, be happy for me."

The post has garnered more than 10,000 likes as of press time.

Lim is one of the most acclaimed television stars of her generation.

Her star started to rise with her first full-time contract role as trainee lawyer Wendy Lim in The Pupil (2010), for which she won Best Drama Performance In A Leading Role at the Asian Television Awards.

From flubbing her lines in Mandarin, she went on to become one of Mediacorp's truly bilingual stars. She was named Best Supporting Actress at the 2014 Star Awards for playing a free-spirited sales manager in show business drama The Dream Makers and then won Best Actress in 2015 as a goofball for family drama Yes We Can!.

This year, she is up for Best Actress once again for the romantic drama Sealed With A Kiss. Thus far, she has won the accolade of Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes four times (2012 to 2015).

When she was profiled in The Life Interview in October 2014, she came across as cheerful and humble, someone who was appreciative of the trophies and endorsements that came her way after a low-key beginning, which included the 2005 Miss Singapore-Universe pageant where she was named Miss Photogenic, but came in fifth.

Lim started out as a part-time actress while studying at the Singapore Management University and had previously told The Straits Times: "Because for so many years, compared to my peers, this didn't happen. It was practically non-existent, this whole career thing."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 13, 2016, with the headline TV actress Rebecca Lim retiring. Subscribe