How Lisa Tse went from Scottish nurse to Canto star: Miss Hong Kong 2020 now stars in TVB’s Come Home Love: Lo and Behold, but it’s a food tech start-up investment that’s raking in her millions
- After graduating from university in Edinburgh and volunteering in Zambia, the 26-year-old was thrust into the ICU in her native Scotland during the pandemic
- She won Miss Hong Kong 2020 after belting out Canto-pop star Frances Yip’s song Shanghai Bund – but did you know it was her dad who dreamt of her being a beauty queen?
We’ve all been through difficult times at some point in our life. And just like the rest of us, Hong Kong TV star Lisa Tse has had her challenges – not only in her personal life, but throughout her career too.
From a major career change as a nurse in Scotland to being thrust into the spotlight and in front of cameras in Hong Kong, to picking up Cantonese to memorise scripts despite not being able to read written characters, she’s been through numerous tough times. But no matter what comes her way, she’s been able to overcome them and shine brighter than ever.
Learn more about the beauty queen who’s more than meets the eye …
She worked as a nurse in the ICU
During her time at Edinburgh Napier University, Tse studied nursing and graduated in 2019. Aside from her studies, she also had the opportunity to go to Zambia on a volunteer trip with two doctors and another nurse. While she was there, Tse realised how many things she took for granted and worked hard to provide health care to the local town where she worked, according to Jayne Stars.
Finishing her studies, she worked as an operating theatre nurse in St. John’s Hospital in Livingston. Working during the pandemic, Tse took ICU training to help handle the high numbers of patients. “It was a crazy time and your whole life kind of turns upside down in a matter of days,” she told The Standard.
She put self-discovery before her work
Putting her nursing career on hold, Tse moved halfway across the globe to participate in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 2020. While her choice may be quite unexpected, Tse said in a TVB interview that before she even knew how to walk, her father wanted her to participate in the Miss Hong Kong pageant. Thus, Tse took the opportunity to explore her Chinese heritage in the pageant while fulfilling her father’s wish.
In addition to winning the pageant, Tse also won the category of Miss Photogenic. And not only was her beauty enough to have the crowd in awe, but viewers couldn’t help but notice that Tse spoke with Scottish-accented Cantonese. While some viewers criticised her pronunciations, she sweetly replied, “I actually didn’t see their comments, since they’re all in Chinese and I wouldn’t be able to read them anyway,” according to HK01.
Her acting career turned out to be her lowest paying job
