HAS the romance between Sally Yeh and her fellow celebrity husband fizzled out after 16 years of marriage?

While the 51-year-old veteran Hong Kong-based songbird did not explicitly say it, it was clear from her nonchalant replies that she and her spouse, 65-year-old moustached crooner George Lam, were long past the lovey-dovey honeymoon phase.

"George and I started out as very good friends and that's what we are like right now - great friends and great family members," she told local reporters in a phone interview from Hong Kong.

Yeh, best known for her mellifluous voice and her 90s hits Cool Walk, Heartbroken In The Past and A Woman's Tears, will be here next month for a solo concert at The Max Pavilion @ Singapore Expo.

"Our lives are pretty simple. When he's free, he'll ask me out for a meal. Sometimes we'd catch movies with a group of friends.

"It's quite rare for us to go out on a date, so when that happens, it's nice." According to Hong Kong tabloids, Yeh and Lam's marriage hasn't been a bed of roses.

Rumours

In 2005, she was alleged to have cheated on Lam with a badminton instructor called Mike.

Up till last year, there were still reports about her and Lam "leading separate lives" and "sleeping in separate beds".

While she did not address the rumours during our interview, she was upfront about the lack of excitement in her marriage.

Does she still look out for little romantic surprises from Lam?

"Oh my, no. I can't remember how long ago I had something like that; it's been too many years," she said with a laugh.

"Anyway, I'm never one for romance, I don't like candlelit dinners, flowers, or walks on beaches, I'll be quite put-off by guys who do that.

"I like men who are down-to-earth and straightforward, the sort who'd invite me to eat at a roadside stall!"

It doesn't help that she and Lam do not share the same interests.

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