Andie Chen & Kate Pang Show It's All About Teamwork In Love & Parenting

In the words of Avril Lavigne, he was a skater boy and she said, "See you later, boy." That basically summed up the first encounter between Andie Chen and Kate Pang back in 2012. Fast-forward 13 years and the couple is one of the few celebrity couples in Singapore. They tied the knot in Nov 2013 and have two children, Aden and Avery, aged 10 and eight. Ahead, we take a look at how Andie Chen, 39, and Kate Pang, 42, make their relationship work and how they set an example for their children by being couple goals.

1. They were sure of each other

It wasn't love at first sight for Andie Chen and Kate Pang. In fact, they didn't get along initially after meeting on the set of Joys Of Life (2012), with both confessing that they were not each other's type. His lack of tact in his younger days led him to utter "just buy a ticket to go back" to Taiwan when they first met during a press event, resulting in Kate having a less-than-stellar first impression of Andie. The two were later cast as lovers in Break Free (2013), leading to them falling for each other.

Andie and Kate then dated in secret for over a year before announcing their marriage on Nov 24, 2013. By then, Kate was also 10 weeks pregnant with their first child, Aden. While it might seem like a shotgun marriage, the couple stated that they were sure that they would be together forever and did not see the need for a marriage certificate to prove the point. They later changed their minds so that they could apply for the Baby Bonus and government subsidies to afford an HDB flat and for Kate to use his Medisave.

2. Andie helped Kate get over her fear of marriage

At the age of two, Kate Pang's parents split up. In an interview with Quan Yifeng on the Hear U Out talk show, she added that she did not have a happy childhood and was raised by her grandmother. This led to Kate being emotionally closed off and having trouble navigating difficult emotions whenever they arise. "At the start [of our relationship], I never thought about getting married because I was scared of getting divorced. I felt that promises of commitment were all rubbish. Things like 'I will take care of you for the rest of my life' [sounded] like nonsense, and it’s so easy for people to just split up."

Eventually, Andie's words, actions, and patience won Kate over. "He told me, ‘You can’t think that marriage will eventually end badly, because if you think that way there’s a chance that it will really end up like that because of your thoughts. Regardless of what happens, we must think positively."

"Andie made me believe that fairytales can come true and that it’s possible to be happy in life," she added.

3. They work on their problems together

In a 2016 interview, Kate Pang delved into the relationship dynamics she has with Andie Chen, particularly when it comes to conflicts and disagreements. "In the two years or so we’ve been married, we’ve never had a real argument where we raise our voices at each other. Instead, we often sit down together and have serious discussions."

"He holds everything in until he feels that he can’t contain it any longer and says, “Do you think we have time to talk?” We’d be very serious and the both of us might even end up with tears streaming down our faces.”

She added that they both respect each other and would actively avoid doing things that trigger the other person intentionally. “We’re both ticking time bombs, and neither one of us would knowingly set each other off. We’ve never come across a situation that’s irreversible — such as one party cheating — so we wouldn’t want to do that to each other.”

4. They are open about Kate's pregnancy troubles

Following the birth of their son and first child Aden in 2014, Kate suffered a miscarriage in 2015 when she was four weeks pregnant. The couple had been warned by the gynaecologist prior that "something did not seem right" as the foetus did not seem like it was developing and the umbilical cord had shrunk. The cause was suspected to be chromosomal abnormalities.

The couple was understandably distraught by the news. "When I learnt that I needed the surgery, I immediately phoned Andie. Soon after, his manager called and asked if I needed any help. She told me that Andie burst into tears at the film set (after the call). I didn’t expect it to be such a big blow to him. I am someone who is better at concealing my emotions and tears from others, so I was shocked that he cried."

Feeling immense guilt, Andie Chen wanted to share in his wife's pain. "I think it really hit me hard, after the procedure. When I saw her after, and I could tell that she was in pain both physically and emotionally, I felt very helpless. I felt like I failed as a husband and a father, that I couldn’t protect my wife and our baby,” said Andie. There was a strong sense of guilt because I felt responsible but much as I want to, I could only wish to share the physical pain she felt. She is my responsibility, and I allowed this to happen, and I couldn't protect her, I couldn't and I didn't protect her. I feel like, on my part, that was a bit hard to swallow."

While many couples hide news of miscarriage, Andie and Kate chose to share their experience to raise awareness on the issue. "Initially, I thought of it as a private matter [that] we didn’t have to tell people about. [At the time] there weren't many people who knew she was pregnant because she was in her first trimester. But [Kate] wanted to [share the story] and I was convinced because we realised that there were a lot of parents out there who had experienced the same thing and it’s really common, in fact, surprisingly very common."

5. They support each other's endeavours

In case you have been wondering why Andie Chen and Kate Pang have disappeared from our local television scene in the past few years, they moved to Taiwan in 2020 so that Andie could explore job opportunities there. The move also allowed the couple to expose their children to other cultures and broaden their horizons.

In a 2020 interview, Andie shared, "Our long-term plan has always been to have two bases, so Kate and I will be working in Singapore and Taiwan. My wife is Taiwanese, my kids are half-Taiwanese, and I am a Taiwan PR, so to us, this has always been a home for us. My kids have been living in Singapore all their lives, and I think since we have an opportunity to live in another country and meet different people, why not?"

Andie and Kate have also been business partners as they worked together on their family YouTube channel, Kandie Family. It has since morphed into a family Instagram, where they showcase the life and perspectives of the couple and their two children, Aden and Avery.

6. They support each other through difficult times

The move to Taiwan, as the couple would come to find out, wasn't all that easy and smooth-sailing. For starters, the move coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, limiting his work opportunities and income. Andie Chen confessed, "The first few months there, I was unfamiliar with a lot of things. I didn’t even know how to pay electricity and water bills in Taipei, so I felt like an idiot. And I thought there would be opportunities in my career, but the pandemic halted many projects. Job opportunities dried up and I felt like I didn’t have much (of a career) and I still had to take care of two children."

The couple had no choice but to rely on their savings for the first two years in Taiwan. Depressive thoughts then took over Andie. "I was very down and often cried without reason. I just felt so helpless. As a father, I want to fulfil all the education needs my children have, but I couldn’t keep up with my income then, and had to borrow money from my parents to tide us over. I felt so useless asking my parents for money in my 30s. But that also helped me see who truly cared for me at my lowest point."

He later mustered the courage and opened up about his woes to Kate Pang as his depression got worse. Kate responded with understanding and support. "I’m very thankful that after everything, our family is still so bonded."

7. They continue to show up for each other

"When I first married Andie, he did all the housework with his voice. When there are chores, all he needed to do was open his mouth and [ask someone else to do it]. Kate Pang added that Andie Chen grew up with a helper so it made sense that he did not know how to cook or do laundry.

But as Kate declared, "This world is ever-changing, and so are people." Andie was finally able to do household chores and cook. In the Instagram post above, she mused, "After 10 years of being nurtured by marriage (I'm ashamed to call it torture and training), my husband now knows how to hang the clothes out to dry, mop the floor and do the dishes." She added that she was "really touched" by the chicken breast with cheese scrambled egg sandwich that he had made for her.

8. They've shared some parenting tips they abide by

In a 2017 interview, Andie Chen and Kate Pang shared eight parenting rules they abide by. While there is the usual "no iPads and computers at mealtimes" or to communicate rather than punish bad behaviour, one hot take is that they don't want children to get A's in school. For Kate, she revealed that she didn't want her firstborn, Aden, "to become a geek bookworm."

Andie clarified, "I hope he doesn’t get good grades. Our logic is that if you always ace your exams and get 100 marks for everything, basically all it means is that you know what people want and you’re programmed to give it to them. I’d rather Aden not do well in school, but instead, show creativity and interest in myriad different things. I’d say try not to flunk your PSLE and O-levels but I don’t need you to get A’s for everything. I don’t even need you to get B’s for everything. Just pass your exams and get to where you’re supposed to be."