From sexy bombshell to sexy mum.

Christy Yow, the Malaysian model-turned-actress, gave birth to a healthy baby girl by C-section in October - six months after announcing to the media here that she was going to put her blossoming career on hold to get married.

Her then-fiance, Taiwanese businessman Alansk Wang, 29, had proposed to her on Christmas Eve in 2009, at the top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper.

But as Yow, 24, revealed in an exclusive interview with The New Paper, she discovered that she was pregnant with baby Agnes even before she could plan for her dream wedding.

Not only that, she found had found out just a few days before the filming of local Mandarin film Ge Ai (Love Cuts) started last March. The movie had her in nude scenes with local actor-host Allan Wu.

But was she worried that her baby bump might show? After all, aside from a few of close friends, only Mr Wang's family and hers knew of the pregnancy.

No worries, said Yow. At the time, she was only six weeks pregnant. In fact, her biggest concern was feeling tired all the time.

She said:"I was quite lucky that I didn't feel nauseous, I was just very sleepy. I even dozed off a few times between takes during filming."

Pulled out

However, the pregnancy also meant that she had to pull out of Eric Khoo's movie The Charming Rose - where she was to play the titular character.

In a phone interview from Hong Kong with The New Paper, Yow, who was ranked 13th in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World last year, said: "Eric was cool about it and told me to enjoy being a 'shao nai nai', or a young housewife.

"My pregnancy was a surprise and I didn't want it to cause unnecessary stress to my family, so I decided not to break the news at that time. But now that the baby is born and is healthy, our families are more than happy to share the good news with everyone."

Yow and her husband moved to Hong Kong last July. They live in a three-bedroom condominium unit on Hong Kong island. Yow said they registered their marriage in Hong Kong.

Said Yow: "My husband is Taiwanese, but we decided to move to Hong Kong for better medical facilities.

"My husband also felt that I would feel more comfortable in Hong Kong as it has a more efficient public transport system and is very much like Singapore."

To help his wife settle down better in Hong Kong, Wang, who was next to his wife during the phone interview, said he cut down on his business trips.

He said that he is grateful to Yow for willing to sacrifice her movie role to start a family with him.

"And I am lucky to have him,"Yow chimed in.

Since baby Agnes was born, Yow has spent most of her time at home, taking care of her with the help of a maid.

She said: "Looking at my daughter tells me how many sleepless nights my mother went through for me. I am so grateful to her. In fact, she is staying with me in Hong Kong. It says so much for the love of a mother!

"It is not easy being a parent. You have a huge responsibility. You need to decide where to give birth, where and how you want to raise her."

Yow is also setting up a bridal shop with well-known Japanese bridal designer Yumi Katsura in Hong Kong, with thoughts of expanding to Singapore later.

Asked if she is quitting showbiz, Yow replied: "I didn't quit showbiz, I just took a break to focus on my family. I am always open to explore if there is a good movie role or script.

"I've met up with a few directors here. Hopefully, something good will come out of our meetings.

"But now, my baby and bridal shop business is keeping me very busy. I don't even have time to plan for my dream wedding!"

This article was first published in The New Paper.