Edwin Goh and his fiancee Rachel Wan returned to Singapore after spending two years in Sydney as they missed their loved ones back home. Photo: Edwin Goh/Instagram
Spending two years away from Singapore did wonders for Edwin Goh.
The local actor – who relocated to Sydney, Australia, in 2023 but moved back home on April 9 – stopped binge-drinking and quit smoking.
“Before I left Singapore, I was not in a good relationship with myself, and alcohol was my coping mechanism,” the 30-year-old says.
Despite having attained recognition for his acting work, the former child star and Mediacorp artiste was struggling inside.
“I should have been happy because I was doing well, but I wasn’t,” says Goh, who is now a Fly Entertainment artiste.
Turning to the bottle became easy and normal.
“My inner conflicts led to some self-sabotaging behaviours. The amount I drank increased as my alcohol tolerance went up, and before I knew it, it was out of control,” adds Goh, who was convicted of drink driving in 2022. He was fined S$6,500 and disqualified from driving for three years.
He eventually cut down on the boozing due to the comparatively stress-free lifestyle Down Under.
Goh broke out at the age of 15 in Channel 5 drama Fighting Spiders in 2009. He subsequently found fame playing Li Nanxing’s rebellious teenage son in Channel 8 crime drama On The Fringe (2011).
Goh continued to be a regular face in local shows, growing up in the public eye. His last on-screen show was 2023’s blockbuster series All That Glitters.
Citing career burnout and a desire to start a new adventure, he dropped everything, packed his bags and relocated to Sydney with his girlfriend, Singaporean content creator Rachel Wan, in July 2023, about 10 months after they started dating.
Goh recently proposed to Wan, 28, sharing the news on their Instagram accounts on April 4.
Being in the new environment and a city where no one knew “Edwin the actor” was liberating, he says. For Wan, being in a foreign land helped her overcome the grief of losing both her father – to oesophageal cancer – and best friend within two months in 2022.
“Everywhere I went in Singapore somehow reminded me of either of them,” she says.
The change of pace in the Australian city helped Goh overhaul his lifestyle, including finally kicking his smoking habit.
“I was addicted to nicotine for more than 10 years. I knew smoking is bad for health and tried to quit over many years, but was not successful,” he says.
He adds: “Instead of making me relaxed, nicotine became my source of anxiety.”
Goh credits crocheting as a means of keeping his hands busy, so there was no urge to reach out for a cigarette.
He picked up the needlecraft from Wan in November 2022, and the couple turned their hobby into a business. Their online shop Unravel &, set up in April 2023, sells handmade crocheted wares such as beanies and bags, and crochet shirt patterns designed by Goh.
Now that they are back in Singapore, they plan to expand Unravel &, which will be rebranded to The Club Made in May. Apart from digital patterns, the online store will also sell yarns curated by them.
Says Wan: “Most yarn shops in Singapore carry thicker yarns meant for winter climates. It is hard to find thinner yarns, such as lace-weight yarn, suitable for our warm weather.”
Working in a yarn store in Sydney also showed Goh how to run a retail business.
“I did social media marketing for them, so I learnt the backend operations, which helped us with Unravel &,” he says.
Plans for The Club Made include having a bricks-and-mortar space by end-2025, where networking events can be held. “We hope to build a community for crafters to socialise,” says Goh, who considers this his main hustle as he has no acting engagements for now.
Wan, who started a thriving head-shot photography business in Sydney, may also use the space for her photography studio.
The couple also have their wedding to organise, which they hope to hold in April 2026. They envision an intimate ceremony in a restaurant setting.
The bride-to-be says: “We’re still at the blissful stage where we are enjoying being engaged, so we have not started making plans.”
They are currently renting a condominium apartment. While they have discussed getting a Build-To-Order flat, they are not in a rush to buy a marital home.
“We are still settling down and unpacking,” says Wan. “We still have a lot of things in Sydney that are kept in a storage space. We can bring only that much back with us, and will have to go back and sell them.”
Spending quality time with their mothers has become a priority, which was a big reason for their homecoming.
Goh says: “I lost my father to a heart attack in January 2024. It was so sudden. It’s good that we are back during the Qingming (tomb-sweeping) season (in April).” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
