FROM the back of her see-through dress, it looked like Michelle Chia was dressed only in sexy, black underwear.

Hot stuff for the bedroom? Perhaps.

But the MediaCorp actress was, in fact, strutting down the red carpet at the Star Awards 2011 Show 2 held at Resorts World Sentosa last night.

And Chia attended the event amid rumours that she and actor husband Shaun Chen weren't sharing the same bed any more.

Is there really trouble in paradise?

When asked if he had been served any papers from Chia, Chen looked shocked and went silent for a while.

He told The New Paper: "How do you know about the letter? Can I not comment on this?"

Chen and Chia, who got married three years ago, were not seen walking in together.

Other married celebrity couples at the show like Fann Wong and Christopher Lee and Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang took to the red carpet and the stage respectively, hand-in-hand.

But Chen said that he didn't believe in divorce because he's a conservative man.

He said: "A man must be married. If a couple is having problems, then I believe in sticking through them.

"It's not easy for people from two different worlds to be together and marriage is a long journey." Chen was also adamant that he "doesn't need to answer to people about his marriage".

He said that contrary to the gossip that has spread like wildfire even on the Internet, he and Chia are still living together.

The New Paper understands that if Chen was served any papers from Chia, they would likely be separation papers.

Under Singapore law, a couple cannot file for divorce unless they have been married for three years.

A check with the Registry Of Marriages website revealed that as of this month, Chen and Chia have been married for exactly three years.

In contrast to a subdued-looking Chen, a radiant Chia seemed to be having a field day pushing the boundaries of awards show fashion.

From her see-through dress on the red carpet, she changed into a Madonna-inspired chilli-red dress complete with fibreglass breast cones.

Could she have a new man in her life and was she flaunting her sex kitten image?

The rumour mill has been going into overdrive that Chia is dating a Caucasian. An insider in the local entertainment industry confirmed this.

A source also said that Chen was depressed because of his troubled marriage.

Even comedian Mark Lee, who did a no-holds-barred stand up comedy skit with host Zeng Guo Cheng, couldn't resist taking a dig at Chen and Chia's divorce rumours.

When asked if she was seeing someone new, Chia told The New Paper: "I don't want to talk about this.

"Let's just talk about clothes and awards tonight."

Unfazed

But she was unfazed by the question and even revealed that she didn't specially wax her bikini line to wear the Ferragamo outfit, as that is something she does "every day".

Said Chia: "I love that it was sexy and not too vulgar.

"That's because it's like playing peekaboo without revealing everything."

But her husband was rather taken aback when he saw her in her daring outfit.

Said Chen: "Michelle didn't have to ask me for permission to wear that dress, but I was shocked. "She looks pretty in it."

As for why they didn't walk together during the event, Chen said that "those arrangements were made by the programming people".

And what about the red dress?

All Chia would say was that the breast cones weren't heavy.

The loaned Chopard diamond necklace and watch that she was wearing cost a total of more than $4 million.

With Chia leading the pack of sexy fashionistas on the red carpet, it was quite the flesh parade at this year's Star Awards.

Singapore's sweetheart Jeanette Aw, who hasn't worn anything more revealing than a modest tube dress to the show, surprised many when she turned up in a backless dress with a plunging neckline. Sure, she wasn't the most well-endowed around.

But the change in image was appealing.

Said Aw: "I wanted to portray a womanly side. I'm not embarrassed as it's a clean kind of sexy; it's not sleazy at all.

"In fact, it looks healthy."

Host Belinda Lee also dazzled in her tight, pink and black Burberry dress that also bared her back. Lee said that she had to wear "super-low" thongs and used stickers to hold up the outfit.

She said: "I'm not fighting for attention, I just want to feel and shine like a star."

But the sexy mama who shocked everyone the most was veteran actress Xiang Yun, who looked stunning in her black Francis Cheong creation, which showed off generous amounts of cleavage.

Said the mother of two: "I was conned into wearing this! When my stylist drew the design for me to see, she said there was a piece of cloth on my chest.

"But it turned out that it was actually a piece of nude, transparent mesh."

Female artistes Sora Ma, Paige Chua, Eelyn Kok and Quan Yifeng also showed off their figures in revealing outfits.

Actor Christopher Lee once again set tongues wagging.

Remember his apron-like outfit some years back? This time, he had a "blind mafia boss" look. A long black shirt, brown sunglasses, a moustache, a beard and a cane with what looked like a reptile on its head all but screamed, "Look at me!"

Said Lee: "I got the idea from David Gan's Passion show and put together the look myself. "Why bother with what other people say?"

His only rival for "most daring" was actor Terence Cao in his Reckless Ericka billowy pants-that-don't-look-like-pants.

Said Cao: "It's okay if people think I look weird. It's better to get some attention."

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This article was first published in The New Paper.

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