He announced in an interview with Ming Pao Weekly that the couple filed for separation last year and that they divorced this year.

They have a nine-year-old son who will live with Fong.

He later told Sing Tao Daily: 'We're still friends. We're family. I will still protect my family members.'

According to Apple Daily, he met Fong, his first love, in night school. They dated for 18 years and married in Vancouver in 1998, two years after he rose to stardom in the TVB drama Cold Blood Warm Heart.

In the interview, he said the marriage fell apart because the couple stopped communicating.

He admitted that they had thought of divorce as early as 2001, but decided to work at their marriage for the sake of their young son.

When he quit TVB and concentrated on shooting TV series in China, the marriage got better because the couple were apart most of the time. But, ultimately, the relationship cooled, he said.

They could spend a day at home without a word to each other, he added. They did not even fight, he said.

Although he has been linked in the tabloids to actress Jessica Hsuan, he insisted there was no third party.

His ex-wife said she wishes him well, adding that he should mind his health and not drink too much.