Thai martial arts actress JiJa Yanin says her underprivileged backround and natural ability kick-started her lunge at stardom.
'I was born premature and my body was very weak,' said the 23-year-old action star (right), who was in Hong Kong to promote her film debut in Chocolate, directed by Prachya Pinkaew.
'So my mother wanted me to practise taekwondo when I was 11 to help build my body. At first I was forced to go to training but later I was hooked on the sport,' said the actress, known as Yanin 'Jeeja' Vismitananda in her homeland.
Yanin achieved her ambition of becoming a black belt in taekwondo before she was 14. She became a licensed instructor in the sport by the time she was 15 and contributed to her family's income. But tragedy struck when Yanin's father died when she was 17.
'It was a huge shock to me,' she said. 'He was the main financial support to my family.'
Yanin's father was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer, she said.