SHE'S only been married for just over a year.

But local celebrity Kym Ng says she is feeling apologetic towards her new husband. The reason?

He wants children. She doesn't.

In an interview with The New Paper, Ng admitted that she "loves to play", and finds that kids will be too much of a commitment.

Too bad for her poor husband, a guy who has only been identified as Mr Yang.

And Ng feels as if she has let him down.

"My husband has been very understanding," the television host and comedienne said.

"I suggested adopting a child later, but he said no. He wants to have children because he wants them to look like me."

At that, Ng gave a loud groan.

After a few seconds of silence, she added: "I feel so sorry because I know he would be a very sweet and loving father.

"I love dogs, but I don't have time to take care of one. What more a child?"

Free time for her, especially in Singapore, has been scarce.

Ng said she flew overseas to film variety TV shows like New City Beat and Love On A Plate every month from November in 2009 to October last year.

Each time, she would be away from her husband for a week or two.

Once, earlier last year, she didn't get to see him for an entire month as he had to fly overseas for work as well.

And the couple will soon be apart again.

Ng will be flying off at the end of the month for the variety show Chef Apprentice and will be gone for two weeks.

She'll still be on TV though - appearing on the pre-recorded debut episode of the Channel 8 variety show Power Duet on Mar 1.

Ng and her husband got married at a secret location in a neighbouring country in October 2009, after 16 years of courtship.

Very little is known of her hubby.

Ng has only revealed in previous interviews that he's Singaporean Chinese, 1.75m tall, very witty and that he looks like Hong Kong actor Lau Ching Wan.

He's also a few years older than Ng, who has, for many years, kept her age a closely guarded secret, saying only that she's in her late 30s.

Age revealed?

But that secret may be out.

Ng was a participant in the Asian Veterans Table Tennis Championship held here in December last year.

Contestants were grouped according to their age, and Ng was put in the team made up of members in their 40s.

When asked about it, she denied the age group was a reflection of her real age.

Instead, she said her table-tennis instructor sent her to the competition to gain experience and didn't know her real age.

Moreover, she added: "The youngest category was the 40s. There wasn't one for players in their 30s.

"I thought it was funny that they put me in that category. It doesn't matter that people think I'm 40 or above."

Ng eventually sat on the bench in the competition because of cold feet.

The actress picked up the sport two years ago after she was cast as a former national table tennis player in the 2009 Channel 8 drama Table Of Glory.

Learning the sport was tough for her, especially since she professed to have no ball sense and cannot gauge distances.

But Ng went beyond just learning the moves and poses required to look convincing on TV.

She wanted to prove to herself that she could really play table tennis. And that feeling was so strong that she paid to go for lessons - after filming was completed - as often as three times a week.

Even when she was overseas, Ng took her table- tennis bat along to practise her grip so as not to lose touch.

Prolonged practice had caused a callus the size of a five-cent coin to develop at the base of her right index finger, which she showed us.

But even after playing for two years, Ng admitted she had a lot to learn about table tennis.

"It's a mind game just as much as it's physical, but I'm not cunning enough to trick my opponent," she said.

She recounted sparring with 12-year-old students at the Happy Table Tennis School where she took lessons, and she confessed she couldn't play against them.

Said Ng: "I got a scolding from my coach. I know the basics and the skills, but I don't know how to put those into use."

Nevertheless, she has grown to love the game and sees it as part of her lifestyle.

"Sometimes, I think that I'm not getting it right and want to give up. My coaches tell me I need to overcome these obstacles to get to the next stage," she added.

"Every time I play, I focus on only the ball, and it's like a form of meditation for me.

"My stamina has also improved, and the muscles on my arms and abdomen are getting stronger too."

This article was first published in The New Paper.