Photo from facebook/@KimChiuOfficial
The actress-host reflects on the responsibilities she took on as a teenager and the importance of caring for oneself while providing for others.
MANILA — Kim Chiu has spent much of her adult life helping support her family, a responsibility she assumed while still a teenager. Nearly two decades later, she is urging others in similar circumstances not to lose sight of their own needs.
“Do not forget about yourself,” Chiu said during a media appearance in Quezon City on Monday, Aug. 24, as she became emotional while discussing the experience of being a family breadwinner.
The message draws from a role Chiu has spoken about throughout her career. She was 16 when she won the first Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition in 2006, a breakthrough that quickly brought financial responsibilities beyond her own needs.
In an interview shortly after her victory, Chiu said she planned to use part of her P1 million prize to help send her siblings to school. As her career expanded into television, film and hosting, she continued contributing to her family.
Chiu has also said that the responsibility was not imposed on her. During a 2022 appearance on Magandang Buhay, she said no family member had instructed her to become the provider. She described helping her relatives as a decision she made after receiving opportunities at a young age.
By 2023, Chiu said she had helped her siblings complete their education and was also assisting nieces and nephews. She has also said she financed the aviation studies of her younger brother, John, in Canada. ABS-CBN reported that he graduated from aviation school there in December 2019.
Her comments about caring for herself have become more pronounced in recent years. In a 2024 interview, Chiu spoke about making time for exercise, stepping away from her phone and paying closer attention to her physical and emotional needs.
Chiu turned 36 in April and is marking 20 years in entertainment in 2026. Her career, which began with reality television, developed into sustained work in acting and television hosting.
Reflecting on the milestone earlier this year, Chiu said she has learned to recognize both “small wins or big wins” rather than moving immediately from one obligation to the next.
