Theirs is a love story that has spanned 15 years, with two failed attempts at being a couple. But the third time is proving to be the charm for Ms Nora Ariffin and her American boyfriend, Mr Duncan Sheik.
"I keep telling him that the third time is actually the harm because I will kill him if things don't work out," jokes the former top Singapore model, who in 1997 became the first Asian face to front an international Chanel fragrance ad campaign.
Now 43 and still a head-turner, Ms Nora is currently based in New York, where she has forged a new career as a real estate broker.
In town last month for her younger brother's wedding, Ms Nora says: "You never really know with these things. It's just that Duncan makes me happy and that's very important to me."
She first met Mr Sheik in 1998 at a movie premiere in New York. An American singer-songwriter and composer, he was nominated for a Grammy award in 1996 for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance for his hit song, Barely Breathing.
At that time, she had just appeared on the billboards at Times Square as the face of L'Oreal Paris' Feria range of hair colours.
"I think it's fairly obvious why I was into her," says Mr Sheik, 43, when asked what attracted him to Ms Nora. To hear him tell it, it was love at first sight when she walked into the theatre.
"I was there with a photographer friend of mine and asked him to introduce us. Luckily, she was already a huge fan of mine."
That comment garners roaring laughter from the Malay beauty, who clarifies: "That's rubbish, baby. I didn't even know who this boy was at that time. But I did catch him staring at me and thought he was cute."
The two went for a game of late-night bowling right after, but their subsequent romance lasted only eight months.
"I think it wasn't the right time as we were still busy with our own careers," Ms Nora explains.
Despite the break-up, they remained friends and she went on to marry an American stage actor in 2000. The marriage ended in divorce after seven years, and Ms Nora and Mr Sheik tried dating again in 2007. This time, the relationship lasted just over a year.
The pair got back together once again in early 2011 and have been together ever since.
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(Photos: ST, TNP, Cover Girl)
