IT IS no wonder that Chinese actress Vicki Zhao is the darling of Chinese cinema - she's bubbly, guileless and not hesistant to show off her curves, even after motherhood.

Her only concern is that Singaporeans might find her too hot to handle.

As the new Mary Chia ambassador, Zhao was pictured in a skimpy white bikini, which she wasn't shy of donning, even after giving birth to a baby girl at Gleneagles Hospital in April.

In fact, she could have been even more daring. "It's not that I don't want to bare (it all). I'm just worried that Singaporeans can't accept (more skin)," she said with a laugh at a press conference at Royal Plaza On Scotts on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old, who starred in movies like Red Cliff, 14 Blades and Mulan, looked stunning in the Mary Chia ad, which showed off her waist, cleavage and slender legs.

Zhao shed her postpregnancy kilos in just two months, going from 62kg to 52kg. "I eat regular meals and exercise regularly," she said. "But most importantly, I had help from Mary Chia."

She lamented that she finds it most challenging to lose weight from her face.

"It helps, though, when I massage it. It's also extremely relaxing," she said, adding that she also goes for Mary Chia facials weekly which "makes me feel youthful".

She has also tried out Mary Chia's signature weight-loss programme, and said jokingly: "I'm very close to my consultant. If you talk to her, you'll know all the latest gossip about me."

Zhao married Chinese property tycoon and Wuhan native Huang Youlong in 2008. The couple are both Singapore permanent residents and Zhao spent most of last year in Singapore.

"Family is a little more important than my career now," she said.

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