"We Can Be Our #NoFilter Selves With Each Other" Jade Seah & Jaime Teo On Their Low-Maintenance Friendship

TV personality Jade Seah, 35, and FLY Entertainment artiste Jaime Teo, 41, have known each other for over a decade, but it was only in the last few years that the pair can call themselves best buds. Recently, the duo have been travelling together as part of a Singtel travel video series called "Ready, Set, Roam", which sees them jet-setting to various South East Asian countries like Cambodia and Thailand.

We find out what makes their friendship tick and how they inspire each other:

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How did you meet? Did you hit it off immediately?

Jaime: We first met in 2006 when I was a guest on the variety show Sweets For My Sweet which Jade was co-hosting with Michelle Chong. But we didn’t really hang out until a decade later in 2016!

Jade: I can't say we hit if off immediately... although we didn't not hit it off. Like I could tell we were the kind who could potentially be on the same wavelength (maybe it’s because we were both convent school girls - she's from St. Anthony's and I was from Katong Convent). I actually can’t remember how we started hanging out. It was quite organic.

How would you describe your friendship?

Jade: Mother-daughter! (laughs) She feeds me vitamins, nags me about getting more rest or complains about how my things are all over the place. Seriously though, I would say our friendship is very real, which is hard to find in this industry. Both of us are very direct; we say things as they are, with no need to sugar-coat or embellish. We’re both really comfortable in our own skins, so we can be our 100 per cent #nofilter selves with each other. There is no pretense or having to hide certain aspects of our character, even the not-so-attractive bits of us like my temper and her whining.

Jaime: It’s an easy friendship, low maintenance. We always hit it off when we meet up but we don't need to be frequently texting each other to stay in touch. When you get to adulthood, it’s nice to find a friendship like that.

Jade: She’s very low maintenance because she likes to stay at home! (both laugh) People seem to think we are quite alike, when in fact we are very different. While we’re both adventurous and quite curious cats, she likes staying in and follows quite a routine lifestyle whereas I love going out, meeting people and love when life is unpredictable and unplanned. 

READ MORE: Jaime Teo Reveals Her Top 10 Secrets To Staying Slim And Fit

"We can be our 100 per cent #nofilter selves with each other." - Jade

As busy individuals, how often do you meet up and what do you bond over?

Jade: It's really about making time, isn't it? It helps that we're the sort of friends who don't have to meet up all the time - we quite easily pick up where we left off when we meet. I guess we bond over real stuff, like our relationships, work and challenges.

Jaime: She has a crazy amount of energy to burn so if I want to try something new or do something sporty, she's the first person I think of because she's always up for it (when her schedule permits). And she doesn’t need to sleep -

Jade: Whereas Jaime needs to sleep for like eight to nine hours.

Jaime: Yes I get very cranky if I don't get enough sleep. But I'm a lot better now okay, I just need seven to eight hours. (both laugh)  But Jade can sleep three, four hours a night for an extended period of time and I can't. 

Jade: Sometimes we try new workouts or sports together, like badminton. Although we're quite bad at it. 

Jaime (pointedly): Well, one person plays very badly. 

Jade: She thinks her badminton is very good but it's not much better than mine. We only picked this up in the last few years, so let's not pretend that we're better than we are at the sport. Oh, we also bond over throwing shade at each other a lot!

How have you influenced each other?

Jaime: I think she always shows me an alternative view on things. Sometimes I think I’ve become too safe and am always thinking about what could go wrong whereas she’s like YOLO (you only live once)! It’s fun to be around someone like that and she reminds me of pre-motherhood me. 

Jade: Although I’ve played sports and have been running long distance for many years, she’s the one who got me started on functional training and things like HIIT (high intensity interval training), and it has really improved my stamina and netball game. For that I am grateful, buddy!

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What do you like best about each other? How does she inspire you?

Jaime: Her YOLO attitude, boundless energy and directness. We can agree to differ and I can just tell her what I don’t like and she will try to change. We argue all the time over everything because she’s so fun to rib, doesn’t take offence and gives as good as she gets. I think most people wouldn’t think we are friends.

Jade: She tells me things as they are. I appreciate honesty and openness, and she is exactly that. Jaime is unapologetically herself, for better or worse. She says she is “very boring” and competitive but she is a kind-hearted soul, always ready to help and give. She says it comes from being a mum (and I am inspired by her selflessness in her mum duties) but I think being caring and kind is just part of her nature. She always tries to find ways that will benefit as many people as possible. These are probably the nicest things I’ve ever said about her.

"We have an easy, low-maintenance friendship." - Jaime

Favourite memory together?

Jaime: There are so many! I laugh a lot when we're together because Jade is just so loud and funny... but if I had to pick one, it's the hot air balloon ride in Cambodia because it was just a remarkable experience, and we had a thought-provoking conversation up there. 

Jade: For me, it was also while we were shooting in Cambodia. We were supposed to be walking back to the villa to change, but we were so tickled over something that we laughed till I was in tears. I can't even remember what we were laughing about but that moment was gold. Being able to share laughs and be silly together is priceless. 

The key to a successful friendship is...

Jaime: Being able to share without judging (but if you judge, just own up and that makes it okay, too).

Jade: Loyalty. Trust and knowing the other person has your back is everything.

Watch how they fared in The Weekly's BFF Quiz!

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Text: Elizabeth Liew

Photos: Veronica Tay/SPHM / Styling: Debby Kwong / Hair: Den Ng / Makeup: Hong Ling (Nars)