Is Kym Ng 45 years old?

That's what a report in the Today newspaper said late last month.

No, said the MediaCorp actress-host, who has declined to reveal her age throughout her 20-year showbiz career, but is believed to be in her 40s.

In an interview last week, when The New Paper showed her the article in question, she said in Mandarin: "They got my age wrong! It's a long way off and older by too much!"

Ng said she read the feature on famous local and foreign female personalities, but declined to say how many years it was off by. She was also not willing to correct the "mistake".

And she has a reason for this.

"I feel that if people know my age, they will judge my ability based on that, which is very unfair," she said.

"People may then think I'm too old to host certain shows or play certain roles, so it'll be much better if we don't judge one another based on our ages."

Still, Ng is not afraid of ageing.

"I'm not worried that people think I look old for the age they think I am, or say 'Oh, you're actually so young but look so old'," she laughed.

"I just hope people don't judge me based on a number."

Besides her age, Ng also zealously guards her personal life, particularly her marriage.

She registered her marriage overseas in 2009 to a man the media only knows as Mr Yang, whom she has been with for nearly two decades.

But till now, the public has no idea what he looks like.

Ng's demarcation of her professional and private life brings to mind Hong Kong singer-actor Andy Lau, who is adamant about keeping his wife Carol Chu and 11-month-old daughter away from the public eye.

When asked if she saw any parallels between herself and Lau, Ng said: "We're all free to make our own choices.

"Some celebrities choose to reveal their families, children or even homes. As long as they're comfortable with it, it's fine."

And Ng is thankful that she's able to keep certain aspects of her life private.

"I'm very grateful people are not forcing me to reveal or acknowledge anything, and I thank them for respecting my choices."

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