'Just waiting to die': Nicholas Tse shares how dad Patrick Tse is unable to manage his life

'Just waiting to die': Nicholas Tse shares how dad Patrick Tse is unable to manage his life
PHOTO: YouTube screengrab, Instagram/jennifertsetingting

Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse has revealed that his dad, former actor Patrick Tse has been unable to manage his daily life since retiring from showbiz and is at a stage where he's just "waiting to die".

The younger Tse reportedly spilled the tea about his 85-year-old father in Girls' Spectacular Journey, a brand new Chinese travel entertainment programme hosted by Hong Kong singers Joey Yung, Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung.

Nicholas, who was the show's first guest, met up with the trio in China's Hainan province where they took in the sights together. They were later joined by Hong Kong singer Kenny Kwan. 

In a tete-a-tete with his celebrity pals whom he's known for some 20 years, their topic of conversation touched on how artistes' lives are often dictated by their managers. Nicholas stated how this can be detrimental in the long run.

Citing the example of his dad, veteran actor Patrick, who was a movie idol back in the day, Nicholas revealed that the elder Tse has not adjusted well to regular life post-retirement and has aged a lot.

"He tells me every day, 'What do I do? I'm just waiting to die',  and the reason is that he has lost the ability to manage his life," said Nicholas.

He continued: "It's because, for the past 60 years, he has had someone tell him, 'Fourth Brother [Patrick's nickname] today you're going to film'… or 'today you're going on stage', so now when he is on his own, he doesn't know how to organise his life. He doesn't know what he is able to do in a day, because all he knows are lights and cameras."

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The elder Tse had reportedly said previously that single life is lonely, and lamented that when he wakes up each day, he “stares at the sea and eats alone”.

Patrick's last-known relationship was with Shanghai model Coco, who is 49 years his junior. The pair reportedly broke up in 2018, but were spotted at a dinner he hosted in 2019, sparking reconciliation rumours. 

In the one-hour programme, Nicholas also candidly shared about his life as an artiste when he first started out in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the late 90s.

He let on how he was booed by the audience during his first performance as a singer at the age of 19. Not only did he have to ignore the loud heckling, but Nicholas also had to dodge light sticks and water bottles that were thrown at him.

Throughout the ordeal, Nicholas said he put on a brave front and carried on singing, even when the host for the event ended up scuttling backstage for cover.

While he managed to keep his composure without breaking down, Nicholas saw that the incident left his assistant shaken and crying.

He added that the experience is one that he'll remember for a lifetime, and it is a constant reminder for him to work hard and persevere.

candicecai@asiaone.com

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