Coffee Prince actress Yoon Eun-hye says she has not drunk alcohol or dated in eight years

Yoon Eun-hye was on the March 25 episode of South Korean talk show Radio Star - reportedly her first variety appearance in three years. PHOTO: Y1003_GRACE/INSTAGRAM

SEOUL - South Korean actress Yoon Eun-hye, best known for hit dramas like Princess Hours (2006) and Coffee Prince (2007), revealed recently on a talk show that she has not drunk alcohol or dated in eight years.

The 35-year-old idol-turned-actress was on the March 25 episode of South Korean talk show Radio Star - reportedly her first variety appearance in three years.

According to Korean entertainment news portal Soompi, Yoon said she was once dependent on alcohol to sleep.

"It's been eight years since I quit drinking. At the time, it wasn't that I drank because I enjoyed it but rather because I had such severe insomnia," Yoon said, alluding to mental health troubles and the pressure to be perfect for the public.

The actress was previously mired in controversy over an item she created for Chinese fashion design programme Goddess Fashion in 2015. She was accused of plagiarising the design of the item, a white jacket with frilly sleeves, from Korean fashion designer Yoon Choon-ho.

In the talk show, Yoon said she did not want to get drunk, but instead wanted to "feel comfortable" enough to doze off and mixed various types of alcohol - beer, wine, champagne and soju - to help her sleep.

She later contemplated quitting alcohol and did so for a week.

She said: "During that time, my insomnia was cured. I don't know if it was because of (quitting) alcohol, but my mind felt at ease at the time. After changing my lifestyle pattern, I fell asleep easily. I really liked that and began not drinking alcohol."

The actress, who has since sworn off alcohol, will spit out chocolate if she tastes alcohol in them.

Quitting alcohol also means that she has stopped going to social gatherings and bars where drinking is common.

She said: "My dating life has also naturally ended too."

Yoon added that no one has asked her out or asked for her number in eight years, and that due to her long period of singlehood, she now gets nervous while filming romantic and physically affectionate scenes in dramas.

Her last major drama was Love Alert (2018) - where she and actor Chun Jung-myung shared romantic scenes.

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