SINGAPORE: She might be one of the hottest models in Singapore (just poll your male friends), but if Rebecca Tan had her way, she would be mucking around in a tool kit and giving other people's homes a makeover on her very own TV show.

But for now, this Singaporean-Australian beauty has to settle for raiding celebrities' closets and dishing out style tips on the new MediaCorp Channel 5 show, Fashion Forward.

She's no stranger to the limelight she has appeared on countless magazine covers and high-profile TV commercials for Lee Hwa Jewellery, Canon and HL Milk — but this is Tan's first attempt at hosting a TV show.

This move seems almost inevitable, keeping with the tradition other models-turned-something else. With beauty and personality, she just might be the new hope on our screens, which are overcrowded with same old tired faces. "Ooh, cool!" she enthused when asked if she's ready to brighten our screens.

"But it's all very new to me," said Tan, who started modelling when she was 16. (She refused to divulge how old she is now, saying it's a secret.)

"I am actually conquering a fear. I am a very shy person and I like to have my privacy and I am very quiet," she said in her sing-song, playful accent.

But there's little hint of these fears on screen as she flirts and delivers double entendres like a hot knife through butter.

In the first episode, she checks out popular MediaCorp Radio 987FM DJ Rosalyn Lee's bedroom, leaps on her bed and purrs: "So, you come here often?"

Lee gamely replies: "I come here often; I come here very often."

And to think we nearly lost her to architecture.

What took you so long to make your television show debut?

I had turned down a lot of stuff. I've had offers from companies like MTV and also to do movies with Jackie Chan and what not. But I turned it all down because I was not ready — and now I am and I am slowly getting into it.

When I am older, I want to look back and say that at least I tried. Fly Entertainment (Tan's talent agency) helped me so much by training me and all that. I am very thankful for them.

What is your ideal acting project?

An ass-kicking kungfu one! I am not trained in martial arts, but I'm willing to learn, and pick things up very fast.

Who was your favourite "victim" on Fashion Forward?

I would say (comedian) Kumar, but I haven't done the whole series yet. He said some interesting stuff, which left me gobsmacked! But the thing is when I was interviewing Kumar, I was sick as a dog. I was actually throwing up, I had lost my voice, and I had a temperature. And he was such a darling.

Who else can we expect to see on the show?

Felicia Chin — she's very cute. Michelle Chia — she left me blushing because she's a very experienced host and actress, and I am very amateur and very nervous and going: "Oh my god, oh my god". I was blushing like crazy.

Going back to your modelling career, we came across a topless picture of you in which you have milk spouting out from one mammary. What on earth was that all about?

Yeah, that one ... (sighs). That was shot by (fashion photographer) Geoff Ang. And that was for some exhibition, or something like that, so many years ago.

I didn't know it was going to be on the Internet and I am not happy at all about it. I told him to take it off, but someone else picked it up and continued to use it.

Given your "naughty" nature, did a lot of footage end up on the cutting-room floor?

I would like to go a little further, but there is only so much you can do. For example, I raided a socialite's home and she has this amazing wardrobe and she pulled out a chinchilla jacket.

And I am not a fan of fur. I had to be nice and said: "It's very soft". Then I said: "You know what, you could always go to a pet shop and pat it as well".

I did my research at home and found out that to make one jacket you have to kill 500 chinchillas.

Are you a crusader for animal rights?

Well, I'm not really huge on it. I won't buy fur, but I wear leather shoes and I eat meat. I am not the very hug-the-tree type, either. I am a very easy-going person. I don't want to do stuff that does my head in (laughs).

What do you do to chill out?

I am going to school! I'm studying a basic course in interior design at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. I've actually designed people's houses before and I've helped build a house.

If I am not doing that, I am also investing in stocks. I plan to be a millionaire. I am not the type who blows my money. I bought an apartment when I was 21. It's two minutes from the beach on Gold Coast in Australia. It's five minutes from the casino. But I hate gambling.

What would you have done if you weren't a model?

Before modelling, I wanted to get into architecture because I am very into design, buildings and interior and what not.

But I don't come from a rich family — a lot of people think I do, but I don't. My parents split when I was quite young and my mother brought me up. I would see my father on the weekends. We didn't have a lot of money, so I got a job as soon as I could to earn money and I couldn't study architecture, which takes about five to seven years.

So, what are the chances of you hosting an interior decor show?

Well, I was actually starting to write a show with a friend of mine. But, again, I didn't have the time to do the whole proposal. I would love to do a hands-on makeover show, wearing a little tool belt. I'd be so happy!

Fashion Forward is on every Tuesday at 10pm on MediaCorp Channel 5. - TODAY/ar