HAVE showbiz couple Ix Shen and Ericia Lee split up?

The 38-year-old MediaCorp actor hinted at this by revealing that he is 'single'.

He also added: 'I'm not seeing anyone now.'

When pressed about why their six-year-old relationship had ended, he avoided the question.

He declined to discuss when he and the 32-year-old actress - one of local TV's most recognisable couples - went their separate ways or why.

When the topics veered to marriage and fatherhood, Ix appeared dismissive and almost cynical.

Of Ericia, all he would say is: 'We're friends and we've always been friends, and I think we'll always be that way.'

The pair began dating in 2002 when sparks flew in New Zealand while they were filming Channel U TV drama, Pure Fun.

Ix and Ericia remained coy about their romance, and even pretended to ignore each other on the set of their next appearance on screen, 2003's Frontline.

Ix told The New Paper in 2002 that he and Ericia liked to 'idle together' and 'talk about anything under the sun'.

A year later, Ericia finally spilled the beans when she confessed to The New Paper that their relationship was 'in the middle stage'.

'We go out together and enjoy each other's company.'

Of Ix, she had gushed: 'The most appealing thing about him is how we can communicate and connect. It's hard to find somebody who can talk to you about everything, and who listens too.'

The pair was even rumoured to soon follow in the footsteps of good friends and showbiz couple Darren Lim and Evelyn Tan who got hitched in 2004.

Darren told The New Paper then: 'I've got a feeling the next Channel U wedding we'll see will be that of Ix Shen and Ericia Lee.'

But, of late, the couple has been out of the limelight.

Sources told The New Paper recently that their relationship has been on the rocks.

Perhaps that is why when it came to the topic of marriage, Ix appeared dismissive.

He said: 'Signing the (wedding certificate) is just a legal formality... (But) the concept of sharing that moment is more important than the event.

'I'm not a wedding person. I've always thought of weddings as a girl's thing. I don't mind going along with it.'

As for whether he'll have kids one day, he said he finds that kids 'become too clingy'.

'I like kids but I don't think I'll enjoy fatherhood. I think the lifelong responsibility that comes with being a father is a setback.'

That hasn't stopped him from acting as one though.

In his latest Okto television drama serial, Happily Ever After, he plays a married lawyer who leaves the ratrace to help the less-privileged.

His wife, played by actress Ng Hui, is unhappy with her unambitious husband and their marriage suffers.

Happily Ever After, which also features Randall Tan and Adele Wong, explores the ups and downs of married life.

The eight-episode serial airs on 1 Mar at 9pm.

So will there be a 'happily ever after' for the hunk?

Yes, he thinks so, but he also doesn't believe in a fairy-tale ending.

Ix said: 'I wouldn't end 'happily ever after' with a full stop. It should have a hyphen at the end and followed by 'with tons of effort'. A relationship definitely needs working on.

'Happiness will not fall upon anyone. Everyone has to work towards it. I suppose there are times I may have taken things for granted. Especially when you devote so much time and effort into pursuing your work and passions, you may ignore family life.'

Need to communicate

As to what makes a relationship work, the actor said both parties need to be non-judgemental and open-minded. Most importantly, he said, they have to communicate.

'Communication is the key to settling domestic issues,' he said.

For now though, his parents are not complaining about his 'bachelor' status.

Ix, who stills lives with his parents, says his two nephews are more than enough for his folks to handle.

He said: 'My parents don't bug me about getting married or having kids. I think I'm safe because my parents are getting older and there's a limit to their child-minding abilities.'

As for concerned relatives, Ix's solution is to avoid them.

He joked: 'I meet my friends who are in a similar plight - it's pretty common now.

'If I bump into my relatives, I'll just say I'm not ready.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 4, 2009.