Glow Up After Break Up Part 2: Kim Chiu

And here is another Glow Up after Break Up article. And again, from the Philippines… The country where on-screen and off-screen love teams still exist.

This reality TV star is one of the biggest blockbuster leading ladies in the Philippines right now. And yes, she’s got the looks that earned her a spot here on our website. Ladies and gents, be mesmerized by Ms. Kim Chiu. And be insanely sweaty after her gallery at the end of this article.

Who is Kim Chiu?

Kim Chiu is a Filipino actress and recording artist. She rose to prominence after winning the inaugural teen edition of Pinoy Big Brother and has since performed in a variety of genres on cinema and television. Kim is one of the highest-grossing movie office stars in the Philippines, with approximately ₱1.1 billion in earnings from her films. Forbes Asia named her one of Asia Pacific’s most important Filipinos in 2020.

Kim is also dubbed as the “Multimedia Idol” by various media outlets in the Philippines.

Her Early Life

Kimberley Sue Yap Chiu was born on April 19, 1990. She is the fourth of five children born to William Chiu, a Chinese merchant from Mindoro, and Louella, a Philippine Sangley native who moved from the Dinagat Islands to Surigao del Sur, Philippines.

Kim had a difficult relationship with both of her parents after they separated in 1998. She and her brothers were reared by their paternal grandmother and relocated frequently as youngsters throughout the Philippine Visayas, living in Tacloban, Leyte, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Mindoro, and returning to Cebu City in 2006.

She is fluent in Cebuano, Tagalog, and English, with her Waray, Hokkien, and Mandarin Chinese at a beginner level only.

In 2013, she reconnected with her father “after five years of estrangement” when visiting his second girlfriend and half-siblings in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. A month later, in June, her biological mother, Louella, went into a coma. Louella died on June 23, 2013, after a week in the hospital as a result of a brain aneurysm. In a eulogy for her mother, she dispelled rumors of resentment about her mother’s child abandoning her.

Career Journey

Kim Chiu gained prominence when she won the top prize in the reality series Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition. For the show, Kim left her hometown of Cebu City and moved to Manila. She, along with the rest of the housemates entered the Big Brother house on April 23, 2006. After 42 days in the Big Brother house, she was named the Teen Big Winner.

After winning, Kim joined Star Magic. She and her on-screen partner Gerald Anderson became regulars on several ABS-CBN series.

Kim initially began playing supporting roles in several television shows early in her career. Her breakthrough came following her pairing with Gerald Anderson and has appeared together in a number of projects. The following year, Kim topped Yes! Magazine’s list of 100 Most Beautiful Stars and ventured into more dramatic and comedic roles. It was succeeded by a string of commercially successful projects.

Music Career

Kim’s studio albums have all received Gold or higher certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry, and she has performed a solo concert at the New Frontier Theater. She was also chosen by Disney Southeast Asia to appear as Mulan in a special 2015 calendar shoot. Various award-giving authorities have acknowledged her work, including the FAMAS Awards, Box Office Entertainment Awards, PMPC Star Awards for Television, and Myx Music Awards. She was recognized for her services to Philippine entertainment by being inducted into the Eastwood City Walk of Fame in 2010.

Facts and Trivia

On March 4, 2020, Chiu was driving down Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City on her way to a shooting of her show Love Thy Woman when two unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle fired six shots at her van. Kim and her companions remained uninjured. Investigators look into the shooting as a suspected case of mistaken identity. Kim later stated on social media that a day after the event, someone purporting to be the intended target called one of her supervisors to apologize.

In a press conference on August 28, 2013, Kim, one of the Philippines’ highest-paid endorsers, discussed the ongoing Pork Barrel tax issue and the government’s suspected misuse of the PDAF, emphasizing the amount of tax celebrities like herself pay to the government.

Her Philanthropic Work

By 2013, it had also been reported that the actress was participating in regular fundraising for Isla Pulo, a poor hamlet of 1,000 people in Manila Bay, Philippines.

In August 2012, she and co-star Xian Lim led a relief effort in Marikina. Chiu was significantly involved in the Red Cross’s relief operations during Typhoon Yolanda, which had impacted her hometown. Aside from providing food and water, she organized week-long clothing auctions to benefit Typhoon victims.

The Break Up

Kim dated co-star Gerald Anderson from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2023, Kim dated fellow Star Magic artist and leading man, Xian Lim.

Kim Chiu confirmed in December last year that she and her longtime partner Xian Lim had broken up. In an emotional Instagram post, Kim announced that she and Lim have called it quits after a nearly 12-year relationship, calling it the “end of a love story.” She also included a message for her former beau in the Instagram post saying that he will always have a special place in her heart.