DATING a celebrity is tough, especially if you’re one yourself.

But Taiwanese singer Christine Fan has been with her boyfriend, popular Taiwanese actor-host Blackie Chen, for the past eight years.

The best part? They have never once broken up during this time.

Said Christine, 33: “I’m not the sort of girl who hopes for passion in a relationship or whirlwind romances.

“Blackie is my best friend and we can talk about anything. That is the secret to a stable, long-term relationship.”

She was speaking to The New Paper over the phone from Taiwan about her latest Mandarin album F One, which she feels encapsulates all the different facets of her personality.

For example, fans of the US-born singer can look forward to grooving to reggae anthems inspired by her idol, Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley.

But music is not the only thing she is concerned with these days. We hear that wedding bells may be ringing for her and Blackie, 32.

In recent reports, Taiwanese actress-author Betty Wu’s publicised pregnancy problems – the 44-year-old lost one of her twins prematurely – had terrified Blackie.

He subsequently told the Chinese media that he wanted to wed Christine soon in order to avoid similar pregnancy complications due to her “advanced age”.

When asked if she would accept his proposal, Christine didn’t answer the question directly.

“I’m not going to get married any time soon. This is not something that I will plan.

“I can get out of bed one day and think ‘Yes! I want to get married today!’ and that is when it will happen.”

What about children then?

The singer confessed to being “extremely practical” and admitted that what she worries about the most is the uncertainty of her children’s future.

Comfortable life

“You don’t even know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I want the best for my kids, but the thought that they may not lead a comfortable and secure life scares me.”

For now, she is content to enjoy couple time with Blackie.

So what tips does she have for her fans who also wish to have happy long-term relationships?

First, if you’re upset, show it.

According to her, Blackie had once borrowed her laptop and broke it accidentally by dropping it on the floor. She was incensed when her computer “just refused to start”.

A few days later, he presented her with a NT$100,000 ($4,500) hand-crafted guitar, inlaid with her favourite cartoon in mother-of-pearl, as an apology.

Second, do not be the one to first say sorry after a quarrel.

She recounted how she once argued with Blackie over the memory stick inside his PSP handheld game console.

“He bought a new PSP then and I saw that the memory stick was just 1GB. So I teased him and boasted about my own 8GB memory stick. I didn’t expect him to flare up and throw my memory stick on the floor.”

She admitted that she had cried for an hour but refused to relent until he apologised.

“It is Blackie who always gives in first after a fight. How can I ever admit defeat? Never!” she said, laughing.

Third tip

Finally, be yourself.

She professed to “never having to try” to get along with her boyfriend.

“Things should be natural between two people who are together.

“If you have to try, then it’s not going to work out anyway.”

Besides having a famous beau, Christine also has a celebrity best friend, none other than Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung, whom she met six years ago when Cecilia was promoting her album in Taiwan.

They are such good pals that Christine has even invited Cecilia to be a guest star at her upcoming Hong Kong concert on 19 Aug.

Christine said: “She’s definitely coming with Nicholas (Tse) to watch the concert. Whether she will agree to sing on stage, I don’t know. But I certainly hope so!”

This article was first published in The New Paper