HONG KONG: Popular comedienne Sandra Ng, best known for starring alongside "King of Comedy" Stephen Chow in numerous hit films and dramas, recently had a big scare involving her blood pressure reading.
Ng, 61, who is usually in good health and monitors her blood pressure daily, saw her readings shoot up to an alarming level while filming the Chinese travel reality show Divas Hit the Road 2026 in Mexico.
According to 8Days, a recent episode saw Ng and her fellow cast members—Ariel Lin, Zhou Dongyu, Yin Tao, Deng Wei, and Wang Xingyue—visiting a historic pyramid.
The group had to brave steep, narrow steps, high altitude, and blistering heat.
Ng admitted she felt anxious about the climb. After spending time under the blazing sun, she developed a severe headache and decided to sit out the activity so she would not hold the rest of the group back.
She went back to the tour bus, took off her heavy outerwear, applied ice packs to cool down, and drank plenty of water, but the persistent headache would not shift.
Medical personnel were called to examine her and recorded her blood pressure at 159/102 mmHg, pointing to severe hypertension.
A healthy reading is typically below 120/80 mmHg, whereas anything from 140/90 mmHg upwards is classed as high.
Ng was stunned and confessed she was frightened by the sudden spike, which was believed to have been brought on by altitude sickness.
When Yin Tao, Lin, and Deng Wei later returned to check on her, Yin Tao helped Ng position her arm properly before checking her blood pressure once more.
This time, the reading was even higher: 174/93 mmHg.
Thinking the monitor might be faulty, Deng Wei, Wang Xingyue, and Yin Tao took turns testing the device on themselves.
Turns out, the machine was working just fine.
Ng later joined the group for a meal, where another check showed her systolic pressure was still at 174 mmHg, though her diastolic pressure had dropped to 67 mmHg.
Taking no chances, the production team sent her straight back to the hotel to rest.
Thankfully, by the next day, Ng's blood pressure had settled back to a healthy 120/76 mmHg, and she was feeling like herself again.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
