Joy Sirilak accompanied by her musician husband, Bee Krisanapong open up for the first time after quietly marrying, sharing their love story spanning more than 28 years—from first love to last—on the program "Kui Zab Show" on One31 channel, hosted by DJ Put Putichai and Peggy Srithanya.
How has married life been?
Joy: It's good. It's special and makes me happy.
Was there any awkwardness or shyness?
Bee: We've never appeared as a married couple on TV before. This is our first time as husband and wife on a show.
How did you meet 28 years ago?
Bee: I was a musician and went to record at a studio. After my session ended, I stayed there for about a month and got to know the people there. Joy’s producer, Pee Or Inca, introduced me to her. I asked Pee Or if she had a backup band yet, and that led to working with Joy.
That was the start of meeting. How did your conversations begin?
Bee: After promotions ended, we went our separate ways. Joy appeared on a morning news program on a channel while I hadn’t slept yet. I saw her new hairstyle and sent her a pager message.
Joy: That was when pagers were still used (laughs).
Bee: I sent a message saying her new hairstyle looked cute and stylish or something like that.
Joy: I called him back right away. Honestly, I don’t quite remember. He said I called him, which is possible (laughs).
Bee: We greeted each other, like “Bee, still awake? What are you doing?” That’s how we started talking and meeting. The only problem was I had afternoon classes, and the show ended around 6 or 8 pm.
Joy: There was still some free time.
Bee: She didn’t have other plans, so she came to see me.
Did you have mobile phones then?
Bee: We had landlines. She didn’t know where to go, so she gathered with friends before heading to university.
How long did this warm, safe period last?
Bee: About two years.
How would you define that period?
Bee: Back then, it was confusing. We didn’t give it any label.
Was there no official status during those two years?
Joy: No official status. The relationship grew like being a couple, but we never defined it.
Bee: We were a couple, but we never said it.
Joy: We never said we were together.
Did you never explicitly ask to be a couple?
Bee: We never had a clear conversation about it.
Joy: We never said we were boyfriend and girlfriend, but we spent a lot of time together. I ate at his house, came and went freely. He cared for me—it felt like being a couple, but we never said it.
Did Joy set a personal rule to end things if it wasn’t officially a relationship?
Joy: Yes. I knew he was afraid to say it.
Bee: I was afraid to tell her. Then suddenly I disappeared for three days. I was trying to figure out my feelings. I felt a pang in my heart, missed her, wondered why she didn’t call. After three days, when I came back, it was bright and cheerful. She opened the door, and suddenly the darkness lifted—Joy was back. But still, we didn’t talk about it or say anything. Honestly, I was nervous. She was a top actress at the time in my eyes.
You didn’t dare reach out. Then what happened?
Bee: I just disappeared.
Joy: He really went away.
Did you not tell each other you were stopping the relationship? Did he just vanish?
Bee: As far as I remember, yes.
What made you reconnect recently and pick up where you left off?
Bee: Work. I messaged her on Instagram out of the blue. She posted a photo of her outfit, and I commented that she looked cool.
Why did you suddenly comment?
Bee: I don’t know. I had looked before but felt like commenting this time.
Joy: At that time, I had just sung with Yui Patmawan for flood relief and border assistance. There was feedback wanting me to sing again. I talked with Yui about possibly singing duets, going as friends for fun. I wanted a backup band, so I thought of him first. I planned to find his contact but wasn’t sure if he still used the same number. I thought to look for it that night, then saw his comment.
Did you reconnect continuously after that comment?
Joy: I called him. When he answered, I DM’d asking for his number to discuss work. He called back right away. He was on a concert tour out of town, so I briefly briefed him to talk later because he was traveling. I told him about me and Yui’s plan. While climbing the mountain without signal, he called back once he was down. Then, back in Bangkok, we talked seriously about work, arranged rehearsals, and had the first rehearsal with Bee's band and Yui Patmawan.
You hadn’t met for 28 years and then met in a rehearsal room?
Joy: Yes.
Bee: We both had each other in our hearts and missed each other deeply.
Joy: I missed him a lot. When we met, I wondered what to do, wanted to hug but hesitated. Later, we both realized we felt that way.
Bee: But we didn’t act on it.
Joy: When we arrived, we didn’t hug. The atmosphere didn’t feel right. I looked at his demeanor, worried I might be impolite as a woman approaching him. He said he was worried about how I’d react. So, we just looked at each other and focused on work (laughs). That was the mood.
Did both of you feel the same longing and desire to hug after 28 years apart? Were your hearts racing?
Bee: I was. I couldn’t even hold eye contact.
Joy: We just worked. He knew I kept my composure because I called him "Pee Bee" instead of "Bee Bee." Even my messages were confused about how to address him (laughs).
After rehearsal, you parted ways?
Joy: Yes, we went our separate ways.
At the second rehearsal, did you have a moment alone together?
Bee: That day, the person driving Joy was busy packing up her booth.
Joy: I was selling snacks at a booth, and the timing of closing overlapped with rehearsal. I asked him to pack up the booth for me.
Bee: Another caretaker was sick.
Joy: The timing just worked out.
Bee: It was my duty to drive her home because it’s dangerous for a woman alone (laughs). We talked. Between the first and second rehearsals, we opened up more over the phone. I asked her directly, if at the second rehearsal, could I hug her? But we still didn’t hug then.
Joy: This story is a bit long (laughs). When we got home and she got out of the car, we both knew we didn’t know when we’d have another chance alone. Maybe this was the last time. Normally, we have followers with us. He was okay with holding my hand, and I let him. When he parked, he looked into my eyes. I was shy and didn’t know where to look, so I nestled into his shirt (laughs). There was no place to hide. Maybe because we had dated before, it wasn’t like a random person suddenly hugging me. We didn’t know where we were headed, but this felt safe. It happened naturally.
How did Bee respond?
Bee: I welcomed it.
Joy: Then I pulled away (laughs), composed myself.
Bee: But not immediately. He stayed for a while. When she leaned on me, I didn’t stiffen; I caressed her.
Joy: Then I pushed him away. He asked again.
Bee: I asked directly if I could hug her. She nodded, so we hugged in the car.
Can you demonstrate?
Joy: (laughs shyly)
Bee: (teasing) Like you’ve never done it before.
Joy: I said okay, then we hugged (hugged on the show).
Bee: It was a tight hug.
Joy: After hugging, I froze and got stiff. When he noticed, he asked me.
Bee: That was our first hug after 28 years apart. We missed each other and hugged tightly. I asked how she felt being hugged by me, and she almost cried.
Joy: He told me to say it out loud. I was in his arms and said it felt like coming home. That’s when I realized that’s what love feels like. I’m not a child, but I knew this was the person I love and have loved all along. I had to hold back tears.
Did Bee feel uncertain again?
Bee: Honestly, both of us did. We’d been apart for so long. When we met, Joy was determined to be alone.
Joy: I didn’t want anyone then. I didn’t want my heart to flutter or be unsettled. I’d had enough experience with love and understood its cycle. I was focusing on loving myself and feeling happy. I never thought that hug would make me feel like I had come home. It was a new feeling, realizing that’s what love is.
Were both afraid and hesitant?
Joy: I told him I didn’t want anyone now. If he felt the same, we should keep the good feelings between us and just have this status—working together.
Was that answer like a lightning bolt?
Bee: I listened and felt it. Once you know, you can’t stop it. Even though I told myself I wouldn’t have anyone, I couldn’t help it. Feelings took over, and I couldn’t control them.
When did you officially ask to be a couple?
Bee: When it became clear and we met again and spent time together, I asked directly if I could be her boyfriend. I felt this chance wouldn’t come easily again, so I wanted to hold onto the feeling and the person, to keep the love. So I asked.
How did Joy respond?
Joy: As a lady (laughs) who wanted to be alone, I said yes (laughs) because he was sincere and serious. He focused and clearly said, "Can I be your boyfriend?" I felt it was well thought out, so I agreed, and we became a couple.
How long did it take to ask officially?
Bee: About a month.
You reconnected, became a couple, then decided to marry quickly, prompting questions about the rapid decision. Why so fast?
Bee: Since Joy and I had dated before without publicly declaring it, we already knew each other’s personalities. This time, we didn’t need much time. The feelings were very clear. We wanted to do things properly so Joy wouldn’t have to answer questions when she went out. We sought permission from our elders and gradually planned a small wedding like this.
Originally, you planned just a wrist-tying ceremony. Why add more rituals?
Joy: Actually, he proposed properly. I saw his sincerity when he asked to be my boyfriend. When he proposed marriage, we agreed and cried tears of joy. He said he wanted to do it properly, with a wrist-tying ceremony. Since he was sincere, I appreciated his respect for me, our families, and my mother. If we were to tie wrists, I thought it would be good to invite monks to chant blessings for us. He agreed. We decided to keep it simple and private at home, inviting monks to sit in the small garden by the house. We tied wrists and chatted. Since we would pay respect to elders, we should also exchange rings, so we had a ring exchange ceremony (laughs). Elders poured water and gave blessings at home, ending with a three-step ceremony.
Then you decided to send invitations and the wedding was just two days later. Why choose 8 January?
Joy: It was an auspicious date at the start of the new year. We agreed on that.
Anything you want to say to internet users?
Joy: I want to apologize to the elders on both sides for not inviting them earlier or more widely. Our intention was truly to have a small event only. If we had planned a full wedding, we would have invited everyone personally. Thank you to our fans and netizens for so many congratulations. We read them all and many messages truly touched us. We cried together, amazed by the kindness. I came on the show to apologize to the elders and thank all the fans and viewers for their blessings.
Are you preparing to have children?
Bee: After the wedding, we consulted doctors. We’re both older, especially Joy. We wanted to know if it was possible. We lacked knowledge, so we asked doctors if pregnancy was possible and if we were ready. The doctors gave us various information, and we concluded we would try natural methods.
Joy: I’m 48, turning 49. We consulted doctors to understand if I should get pregnant. The doctor said my body is ready for pregnancy if we choose natural methods. If a baby does come, we will need close care. Medicine is advanced now, so they can monitor development well.
Anything you want to say to your wife?
Bee: Honestly, I never imagined this (Joy shyly leans on his shoulder). I can only say I love you. I never truly knew that word until I met Joy.
Joy: Wow (leans in).
What do you want to say to your husband?
Joy: It’s hard. Sorry, I can’t speak well at important moments. I love you. You are my first and only love. Thank you so much.
Bee: (kisses her cheek).
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