Ah, celebrities, what do we do without them? This year, these female celebrities are trailblazers in their own right. Some made a name for themselves, whether through their own business enterprise or acting projects, or just well, being interesting. We take a look at the international female celebrities that you, our Singapore readers, just can’t get enough of in 2019.
10. Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman has had quite a stellar year on TV; the second season of her series Big Little Lies raked in 2.1 million total viewers on HBO, and she’s reportedly paid US$1 million per episode for her role in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. Not to be contented with television work, she’s also gone on to star in Bombshell, a Fox News drama circling around the #MeToo movement, alongside Charlize Theron and Megyn Kelly. There’s no stopping this mother-of-four any time soon!
9. Scarlett Johansson
We last saw the red-haired Scarlett Johansson in Avengers: End Game last April, as she reprises her role as the Black Widow. This month, she takes on a milder, less-action packed role as a wife who undergoes a tricky separation and divorce in Netflix’s Marriage Story. In a recent interview, she opens up about her last marriage to actor Ryan Reynolds, which provided an intimate look at the actress’ life.
8. Kim Kardashian
Ah, where do we begin. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, whose antics are captured on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, spoke openly this year about her struggles with pregnancy. She has since used surrogates for the birth of her two children, thus raising the number of her kids to four.
7. Kylie Jenner
This young beauty mogul has both beauty and brains. At the age of 21, Forbes Magazine awarded her with the title, youngest self-made billionaire ever, thanks to her Kylie Cosmetics empire. Whilst her work keeps her busy, drama doesn’t ever leave her side; her best friend Jordyn Woods made headlines for kissing her half-sister Khloe Kardashian’s boyfriend, Tristan Thompson at a club. All h*ll broke loose, and the squabbles can be seen on – but of course – Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
6. Michelle Yeoh
Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, 57, is not resting on her laurels any time soon; the martial arts-trained actress spends her time acting and raising awareness on climate change. She continues to go strong in Hollywood, where she steered the ship in Star Trek: Discovery, and manned a store in Last Christmas. We can’t wait to see if there’s more of her in the sequel of Crazy Rich Asians!
5. Meghan Markle
What a roller coaster year for the Duchess of Sussex! Earlier this year, the world got to celebrate the beautiful birth of Archie on 6 May, together with his parents, Meghan and Harry. But the tabloids continue to be unkind to Markle, as they hound her with fictitious, printed stories. Apparently having had enough, she launched a lawsuit on UK tabloid The Mail last Sunday, after they illegally published a personal letter that she wrote to her father.
4. Sammi Cheng
Singer Sammi Cheng hasn’t had an easy year; she got dragged into a public scandal when her husband Andy Hui was snapped behind a taxi, kissing someone that’s not her! Hui reportedly admitted to cheating on the singer with actress Jacqueline Wang. Cheng, hurt by the incident, moved out of the home she shared with Hui. Cheng then took a break from showbiz and spent some time travelling solo. Soon after her return to Hong Kong, she was hospitalised for severe heartburn. We hope she’ll get better soon!
3. Song Hye-kyo
K-drama fans were left reeling with shock when news of their favourite couple Song-Song, filed for divorce in July. Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo were married after 20 months and their wedding was a star-studded affair, graced by celebrities like Zhang Ziyi, Yoo Ah-in, Choi Ji-woo and Park Bo-gum. After the divorce, Hye-kyo returned for a public event with beauty brand Sulwhasoo, which she is an ambassador.
2. Jacqueline Wong
American-born Hong Kong Canadian actress Jacqueline Wong has suffered her fair share of embarrassment this year – she was caught frolicking with singer Sammi Cheng’s husband Andy Hui, at the back of a taxi. Not only did she cause a riff between the star couple because of the scandal, she broke her boyfriend, Kenneth Ma’s trust, too. She has since returned to Hong Kong months after hiding in the US, but we don’t know if the industry will be forgiving of her misdeeds.
1. Kim Chiu
Kim Chiu is a well-known Chinese-Filipino actress, singer and television host from the Philippines. Besides busying herself with acting gigs, the actress is into vlogging and social media, where she constantly shares updates about her travels and boyfriend, Xian Lim. As a fashionista, the effortless Chiu made it to the best dressed list for a backless gown she wore to ABS-CBN ball in September. In November, several news reports say she was rushed to the ER after being bitten by a small dog. She was discharged without any major complications, and the actress took to social media to share her updates: “Lesson learned never pet a ‘stranger’ dog, just because they’re cute and small.” Ouch, but glad to hear she’s okay.