Most men would rather not have their girls dedicate any attention or affection to a hot male celeb (or basically any other guy who isn’t them), but for 987FM deejay Gerald Koh, it’s a different story.
In fact, even when he married 24-year-old finance executive Thia Zhixin, the 30-year-old insisted that she keep her Facebook moniker as “Zhixin Lambert”, after Adam Lambert (it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that she is a huge fan of the rocker and former American Idol runner-up).
“I told her not to change it because he is the reason we got to know each other,” he told us in an interview. “I’m not jealous at all! I’ve seen some friends who are like, ‘Hey, I’m your boyfriend, why do you like Harry Styles?’, but I’m not that kind of guy lah.”
Indeed, if it weren’t for Adam, Gerald and Zhixin would never have crossed paths. In 2010, when Gerald was a jockey at another radio station, he ran a giveaway with ten sets of autographed Adam Lambert posters up for grabs. Zhixin, who was already a huge devotee then, immediately joined and was chosen as one of the winners.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, now that we know how everything panned out), there was a delay in the delivery, and Zhixin wrote a tweet to Gerald asking why she hadn’t received her poster yet. Feeling bad, Gerald offered to personally meet up to hand her the prize, and before long, they started keeping in touch and even went out a few times before officially becoming a couple half a year later.
Unsurprisingly, the pair’s first few conversations were all about Adam Lambert. In order to find some common ground to keep the discussions going, Gerald starting learning more about the singer, and eventually became a fan himself.
Fast forward three years to March 2013, and an irresistible opportunity presented itself: Adam was in Singapore for a concert, and the deejay had locked in a group interview with the music star before his show. Mustering up all his courage (“I was actually very scared!”), Gerald got Adam to help propose to Zhixin by posing for a photograph with a sign that read, “Say yes to Gerald. He is a good catch!”
After a second proposal in Paris (this time, a “proper” one with a ring), Zhixin said yes, and on October 3 this year, they upgraded their relationship status to husband and wife at Raffles Hotel. The intimate affair, which was attended by just close friends and family, was followed by the couple’s honeymoon in Japan (“Adam Lambert loves Japan!” Gerald chuckled) and in February, they will throw a larger banquet at The Westin with 30 tables.
“It’s wrong for me to say that I’m doing most of the planning,” Gerald admitted with a laugh. “She’s coming up with the ideas and I’m the logistics and public relations liaison officer, finding out from people on how to get what we want – it’s a combined effort.”
When asked about the finances, Gerald said that while it is “definitely expensive”, some incredible foresight has helped him a lot in this area. “When I got to know Zhixin five years ago, I knew she was the one so I started saving up (for the wedding) then already,” he said. “It makes it a lot less painful.”
The same money-savvy attitude has extended to his new life as a married man. “The only difference in our relationship between then and now is that we’re more responsible in how we spend.” (Preparing for children already?) “Maybe? (laughs) We don’t plan for babies, but when it comes, it comes. Maybe in three to four years? We want to make sure we’re ready. She wants two but I want one – I’ve seen friends with more than one kid and I don’t think I could handle that!”
With Adam returning to our sunny shores to headline the Celebrate 2016 countdown show, Gerald hopes to do something special for his wife. “Even though she’s a big fan, she has never personally met him, so I’m trying my best to surprise her with something,” he disclosed, adding that details on how he intends to arrange that are still fuzzy at the moment.
We hope Gerald’s plans go smoothly. After all, it’s not every day you get to see a husband willingly introducing his wife to the other love of her life.
Catch Adam Lambert at Celebrate 2016 at The Float @ Marina Bay on December 31, 8pm. Tickets are priced from $38 to $168 (excludes booking fee) and are available at SISTIC.