Lin Dan's wife says will still support him after affair

It appears that Xie Xingfang will be sticking by Chinese badminton star Lin Dan, days after news that he cheated on her was exposed online.

In a post on Chinese social networking website Weibo on Friday (Nov 18), Xie wrote: "Our family will support this man who takes responsibilities for his actions and is willing to correct his mistakes."

"I thank friends and fans for your concern. Our family will weather this storm together," she added.

The post was accompanied by a picture of the couple holding hands with their infant son.

Lin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion, shocked fans when he admitted to having an affair while his wife was pregnant, after intimate photos of him and another woman were posted on Weibo.

The woman was later identified as model and actress Zhao Yaqi.

News of Lin's extramarital affair quickly became the hottest topic on Chinese social media, and has drawn nearly 2.5 billion views and more than 690,000 comments, according to Global Times.

Lin subsequently apologised with a brief message in Chinese: "As a man, I do not make any excuses for myself, but my actions have hurt my family. I apologise to them here."

Xie, herself a former Chinese national shuttler, gave birth to a boy in Beijing on November 5. The couple married in 2012.

Read also: Website claims Lin Dan had another affair with shuttler

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