Chen Yixin Opens Up About Childhood Depression and Anxiety Due to Family Fame
Singaporean actress-model Chen Yixin, the daughter of celebrated actors Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen, has revealed the challenges she faced growing up in the spotlight, including experiencing depression and anxiety as a child. The 25-year-old shared her struggles alongside her mother on the inaugural episode of the YouTube talk show DNA, hosted by Rebecca Lim.
The Weight of a Famous Family
Chen Yixin recounted the difficulty of understanding why others felt entitled to grasp details about her family’s private life. She expressed a simple desire to “fit in,” but found herself ostracized by peers. Even as acknowledging that some of her feelings may have been self-imposed, she described withdrawing from others because she felt they knew more about her than she knew about them.
Her mother, Xiang Yun, explained that the family faced scrutiny from classmates’ parents who gossiped about them due to their public profiles. This gossip often reached the children, creating a challenging environment for Yixin and her older brother, Chen Xi, who is also an actor. Xiang Yun and Edmund were limited in their ability to address the situation directly, focusing instead on encouraging Yixin to ignore the negativity.
Recognizing and Addressing Mental Health
Yixin explained that she struggled to process “complex emotions at a young age” and didn’t understand why people disliked her or her family. “I guess that was why I was constantly crying, as I felt so frustrated,” she said. “As a kid, it was hard having to experience very heavy emotions. I did not know that I had depression. I did not know that I had anxiety issues.”
The situation began to improve when Yixin entered Singapore Polytechnic, where she pursued a degree in applied drama and psychology. She found a supportive community of peers who accepted her for who she was, allowing her to “crawl out of my shell.”
Xiang Yun’s Recognition and Support
Xiang Yun, a veteran actress with a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2026 Star Awards for her performance in The Gift Of Time (2025), reflected on the impact of public attention on her children. She noted that similar experiences were shared by the children of her celebrity friends, highlighting the unique pressures faced by those growing up in the public eye.
Early Career and Recent Roles
Chen Yixin began her acting career with a cameo in Echoing Love (2011) and has since appeared in several Mediacorp dramas, including Life Less Ordinary (2017), While We Are Young (2017), and All That Glitters (2023). She also landed a lead role in Teenage Textbook: The Series (2021) and was cast in the Netflix series Mr. Midnight: Beware the Monsters (2022). She also appeared in the second season of the drama series Titoudao (2023).
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