Andrea Heidi De Cruz (; born 24 June 1974) is a Singaporean actress and psychologist. She left
Mediacorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. is the state media, state-owned media conglomerate of Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the investment arm of the Government of Singapore—it owns and operates television channels, radio, and digital media properties. ...
when her contract ended, but continues to work on an ad hoc basis.
Early life and education
De Cruz was educated at
CHIJ Katong Convent and studied psychology at
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...
.
Career
De Cruz was a psychologist before going into show business. Although not from a Chinese-speaking background, she speaks Mandarin and has acted in
Channel 8 dramas.
In 2021, De Cruz with Png opened a restaurant, Tipsy Flamingo, as part of the Tipsy Collective at
Raffles City Singapore.
Personal life
She married fellow MediaCorp actor
Pierre Png
Pierre Png Tiang Huat (born 29 October 1973) is a Singaporean actor, comedian and businessman. He is known for starring in multiple Singaporean MediaCorp's Channel 5 and Channel 8's dramas which include '' The Gentlemen'' and '' When Duty C ...
in 2003.
Health issues
In 2002, De Cruz was a victim of the
Slim 10 pills scandal and suffered from liver failure as a result. Png, who was her boyfriend at that time, donated part of his liver.
[']
Singapore star in diet pill suit
'', BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, 24 June 2003 She filed a lawsuit against various distributors of Slim 10 pills and fellow actor
Rayson Tan.
[']
Singapore court awards actress S$900,000 in slimming pill case
,'' Kyodo News
is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million ...
, 4 October 2003 De Cruz began her court battle against the importers and distributors of diet pills that she says nearly caused her to die of liver failure.
Lawyers for De Cruz began arguments in the High Court seeking unspecified damages in a civil suit against Health Biz, the importer and distributor of “Slim 10" diet pills.
The case was expected to last three weeks. De Cruz sought damages for injuries she alleged were caused by the drug and to cover the cost of her liver transplant surgery and treatment, court documents said. She also sued the pills' distributor, TV Media, and actor Rayson Tan Tai Ming who sold the pills to her. Tan was later cleared while the distributors were forced to compensate her. De Cruz took a 5-year break from acting and later stated that she has moved on from the incident. Over the years, she would have varying degrees of liver rejection despite taking immunosuppressants, including after her second
COVID-19 vaccination jab in 2021.
In 2017, De Cruz was diagnosed with first stage cervical cancer and had recovered from it. In 2019, she was unable to move the left side of her face due to a 3mm
brain aneurysm
An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television appearances
Variety Shows
Accolades
References
External links
Profileon xin.msn.com
Profile archived from the original5 April 2010
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{{DEFAULTSORT:De Cruz, Andrea
Singaporean television actresses
Singaporean people of European descent
San Francisco State University alumni
Living people
1974 births