JingJing Yu

Yu was born as Varitsara Yu in Bangkok, Thailand, to a Chinese father and a Thai mother. She is of Thai Chinese descent. She is the middle child of three, with an older sister, Junjun (Thai: จันจัน), and a younger sister, Junejune (Thai: จูนจูน).^[2] Yu attended high school at Srivikorn School, and later studied communication arts at Assumption University of Thailand before she dropped out to pursue her modelling career.^[5]

In June 2022, Jingjing Yu and Ittirit Ratanadaros Umpujh publicly confirmed their relationship.^[6]

Yu entered the entertainment industry at age 15 after winning the Thai Supermodel Contest 2012^[7] and subsequently signed a contract with Kiss Models Bangkok. In the meantime, she appeared in various music videos, most notably in Labanoon's "แพ้ทาง" and in The Rube's "I'm Sorry" where she played as Sita, a striking Thai traditional dancer. She said she accepted the offer of Sita as it was a job where she got to dance, the thing she used to do before becoming a model.^[8] When she was 19, she got the opportunity to do a photoshoot in South Korea after a friend of a friend of hers recommended her to the stylists.^[5] She later signed with South Korean model agency ESteem Entertainment, marking the first foreign model to sign with the agency. In her first runway season, she walked fashion runway shows for Fleamadonna, Supercomma B, Abell, JWL, PushBUTTON, Low Classic, Kye Noke and Ych at the 2018 Seoul Fashion Week. She then did photoshoots for various Korean magazines and commercials for many brands, including two big Korean brands 8seconds and Nona9on, along with Lisa.^[9]

In the same year, Yu made her film debut in the movie App War (2018) as June, a determined young tech entrepreneur caught between her ruthless drive to win a high-stakes start-up competition and her romantic chemistry with her rival Bom (Nat Kitcharit).^[10] She received critical praise for her performance, winning the 15th Kom Chad Luek Awards for Best Actress,^[3] as well as a nomination for the 28th Suphannahong National Film Awards.^[4]

In 2020, Yu's contract with ESteem Entertainment ended amid the COVID-19 pandemic, though the contract was supposed to expire in 2025.^[11] In the next year, she debuted as a member of 2021 Ratri, a revived version of 2002 Ratri, alongside Milli, Gam, Blossom, and Waii, with the release of their single "จีนี่ จ๋า (2021)", a rearranged version of 2002 Ratri's single of the same name.^[12] After the release of "ที่สุดของฉัน" in the same year, the group presumably disbanded.

In October 2022, she signed with QOW Entertainment, an entertainment company and talent agency owned by the then-couple Kanyawee Songmuang (Thanaerng) and Krissanapoom Pibulsonggram (JJ). Yu and Songmuang have been close friends, along with Maylada Susri (Bow), since they participated the Thai Supermodel contest. She said that she chose the agency because she had only one manager throughout her career until her manager passed away, so she wanted to find someone who shared her perspective and loved her like a daughter, and she found the agency to be a perfect fit.^[11] However, she concluded her contract with the agency a year later in November 2023.^[13]

In early 2024, she signed a contract with GMMTV. Although she signed with the new agency, she fulfilled her previous commitment by playing a lead role of Yok Suricha in Channel 3's lakorn Naka De Salon (2024).^[14] She also starred in Win Metawin's music video for "ดึกมากแล้ว (NIGHT RIDE)".^[15]

In 2025, she went on to play various roles in several television series, including as Picha, one of the Bupphachinda sisters in Hide & Sis,^[16] and as Jew, an acclaimed dancer in Enigma Black Stage.^[17] She also gained wider recognition for her sapphic roles in Whale Store xoxo, where she played as Mahnmook, Wan's (Pansa Vosbein) ex-girlfriend,^[18] and MuTeLuv: Hello, Is This Luck?, where she played as Leemhai, alongside Ployshompoo Supasap (Jan).^[19] Her partnership with Supasap continues with Enemies With Benefits and the upcoming drama Bake Love Feeling, which are set to air in 2026.^[20][21]