HONG KONG: Malaysian actress Jacquelin Ch'ng has opened up about the reasons behind her divorce from Taiwanese businessman Brian Yang, revealing that several promises made before their marriage were never kept.
In a recent web show, the 46-year-old said they had agreed on living arrangements and how often they would see each other before tying the knot in March 2020.
"I naturally believed that those promises would be kept, but many problems arose after we got married, and some of those promises were never fulfilled," she said.
The former couple divorced in November 2022.
The TVB star explained that divorce proceedings in Hong Kong typically take about a year to finalise.
"The paperwork was settled in early 2023, so we were technically married for only a year.
"That same year, we were also dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and could not travel by plane. When you add everything up, we probably spent only a few months together," she noted.
Ch'ng added that they actually understood each other better while dating than after tying the knot.
"After getting married, we actually did not know each other that well," she said.
Despite the split, Ch'ng remains on good terms with Yang, who even congratulated her on her marriage to Hong Kong senior police inspector Matthew Wong on Oct 8 last year.
When asked about her views on marriage certificates, the actress stressed that a piece of paper cannot guarantee a lasting relationship, adding that a partner's personality is far more important.
She previously revealed that she did not sign a marriage certificate with Wong, saying she did not consider it necessary.
Ch'ng, who is the daughter of the late Malaysian tycoon Datuk Bill Ch'ng, also addressed rumours that she is worth HK$800 million (RM416 million).
While acknowledging that she comes from a well-to-do family, she laughed off the reported fortune as completely untrue.
"If I had that kind of money, I would not be working! I would be travelling the world," she quipped.
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