Being told to retire was 'painful' for Aznil Nawawi

Aznil Nawawi shot to fame in the early 2000s as the host of reality singing series Akademi Fantasia. Photo: Handout

With his lightning-fast wit and buoyant personality, Datuk Aznil Nawawi has never failed to bring joy and laughter to living rooms around the country.

Since the start of his career around the early 1990s, Aznil, or more affectionately known as Pak Nil, has become one of Malaysia’s most respected TV presenters, helming various reality programmes, most notably, popular singing competition Akademi Fantasia besides his own talk show Macam Macam Aznil in the 2000s.