Celebs on slimming pills experience
ANDREA DE CRUZ
'There's no fast way to lose weight'
The former actress and host said she was shocked to hear about Ms Huang Guo's death because it had been a long time since she came across such an incident.
"I'm shocked and saddened to hear about this," said De Cruz, 41, who had a bad experience with the slimming pill Slim 10 in 2002.
She suffered from liver failure after taking the product. Her then-boyfriend, actor Pierre Png, donated part of his liver to her.
"I think I am the biggest and best example of how one could die from taking weight-loss pills bought off the shelf," she said.
"I'm thankful and grateful to be able to plant my feet on the ground each day and breathe."
De Cruz encourages exercise and healthy diet as "there is no fast way to lose weight".
"I hope girls are better educated and more aware of the dangers of pills that you can buy off the Internet or over the counter.
"Unfortunately, another life is lost. Girls need to know that they should not do things that risk their lives."
CHERYL MILES
'I stopped because I couldn't sleep'
The 40-year-old ONE FM 91.3 radio presenter felt Ms Huang Guo's death is "a huge tragedy and such a waste of a young life and a beautiful person".
When Miles was in her 20s, she took weight-loss pills and was addicted to them because they gave her a "caffeine rush".
But she stopped taking the pills after three years as it affected her health.
Miles said: "I couldn't sleep, I experienced insomnia.
"There were definitely some cold turkey effects when I tried to quit it.
"I think it's important to accept and understand our body type and to equip ourselves with information about nutrition and exercise.
"Girls should accept and love themselves for who they are and not allow external pressures to make them feel the need to lose weight.
"People are more than just their body parts."
FERLYN WONG
'Pills led to my depression'
The local singer, who took weight loss pills for eight months in 2012 when she debuted as part of the K-pop girl group Skarf in South Korea, said that cases like Ms Huang have, unfortunately, "become common over recent years".
Wong, 24, added: "It's a shame to lose lives over diet pills.
"I hope such cases can be a wake-up call to those who are thinking of relying on diet pills to lose weight.
"Although we cannot stop people from buying these pills, the least we can do now is to increase awareness of the harmful side effects these pills can cause."
Recalling her own experience, Wong said: "It affected my mood. It was so bad, it escalated to depression.
"I lost about 7kg with the help of diet pills. But after I stopped eating them, my weight rebounded even quicker." - Tracy Low.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now