Karyn Johnston, 21, is one of the biggest stars in the Philippines, mobbed everywhere she goes, with a huge fan base.
She has appeared on the front of countless magazine covers, is one of the country’s top models and even fronted an ad campaign for a popular make of soap.
Unknown here, she made it big after emigrating to the Philippines three years ago.
And producers of the drama she appears in The Half Sisters credit her success to her lilting Scottish twang!
The programme regularly attracts five million viewers.
Karyn’s character in the programme is a spoilt, rich kid friend to one of the leading characters in the show.
She had to learn the local Tagalog dialect for the part.
However, her dad Robert, 57, from Halkirk, Caithness, said producers told her not to get too fluent as they didn’t want her to lose her distinctive Scottish accent.
“They like her accent,” he said. “They like the imperfection!”
Robert said Karyn applied to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow but didn’t manage to secure a place.
After struggling to get work in Britain, she moved to the Philippines and loves the new life she’s created there.
“She gets recognised in the street now and even has her own fan base,” added her father.
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