Babies on board: Asian celebrities who had children later in life
PUBLISHED ONApril 03, 2016 4:00 PMByJessie Lim
Heavenly King Andy Lau, 54, and his wife Carol Choo, 50, are expecting a second child, said Hong Kong reports.
The pregnancy was reported by Next Magazine on March 30, 2016, with a cover photo of Choo and her apparent baby bump.
Earlier, on March 20, 2016, Taiwanese actor Nicky Wu, 45, tied the knot with Chinese actress Cecilia Liu.
Celebrities have been getting married later, welcoming their newborns after their mid-30s.
We look at seven Asian celebrities and their mini-me's.
1. Andy Lau and Carol Choo
Photo: Apple Daily
The couple: Andy Lau and Carol Choo, a former Malaysian beauty queen, had a low profile relationship for 23 years before saying their vows on June 24, 2008.
Their relationship was discovered only after the media showed photographs of him holding her hand on Aug 25, 2009 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. A few days before this, the couple had attended Choo's father's funeral.
Lau's career started in the 1980s and today he is an actor, film producer and singer. He is one of the four Heavenly Kings, who are a group of popular Hong Kong male singers by Hong Kong newspaper Oriental Daily News in 1992.
Read also: No special privileges for Andy Lau's daughter in preschool: Assistant
However, younger audiences know him for his role in last year's hit romantic comedy, Our Times. The plot revolves around the love story of an ordinary school girl and her childhood friend. The girl happens to be a fan of Lau, who makes a cameo appearance as himself in the movie.
The child: Hanna was born on May 9, 2012, when Lau was 50 and Choo was 46. He marked the occasion by posting a message on fan site Andy Lau World with the words, "Boss has become daddy", a reference to his fans' nickname for him.
Hanna made her first official public appearance when she attended his early birthday party on Sept 19, 2015.
In daddy mode: The Hong Kong idol said although he doesn't watch television often, he switches on a children's programme for his daughter's sake.
"I watch only the programme One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians and I must sing the song in it for her once every day," he said.
2. Barbie Hsu and Wang Xiao Fei
Photo: Let There Be Light
The couple: Barbie Hsu married her Chinese tycoon husband on March 22, 2011. The couple had a whirlwind romance, getting engaged 20 days after they started dating. At their wedding, they donated all the money they received from guests to help victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan.
The Taiwanese actress first rose to fame in the hit drama Meteor Garden in 2001. She starred as a poor girl who befriends four rich young heirs, played by members of the popular boyband, F4.
The child: Hsu became a mother at the age of 37, giving birth on April 24, 2014, to daughter Wang Xi Yue. "Xi"is the Chinese word for hope and "yue" is derived from the Chinese word for "moon".
In mummy mode: Hsu took to Weibo, a Chinese social media site, to post a photo of her daughter smiling. She captioned it, "Antidote!", possibly because her daughter's smile made her day.
Read also: More local celebs launching parenting websites, passion projects starring kids
3. Daniel Chan and Vicky Wang
Photo: Universal Music
The couple: Hong Kong actor Daniel Chan's relationship with Taiwanese nurse Vicky Wang was an unlikely one. They met on set, when Chan was playing the role of a doctor at a cosmetic surgery clinic in the drama, Love SOS. They married on Feb 12, 2014.
He starred in blockbuster Chinese period drama Prince Of Lan Ling in 2013, playing the ambitious emperor, Yu Wen Yong, who harboured feelings of unrequited love for the female lead character, played by Ariel Lin.
The children: Chan became a father for the first time at age 39 when his daughter Kathelyn was born on July 5, 2014. A second daughter was born on Aug 15, 2015. He personally cut the umbilical cord of his wife, shortly after her second pregnancy.
In daddy mode: After his second daughter was born, the actor wrote a post on Weibo, sharing the happy news with his fans. "Your father and mother will love you. Thank you, everyone. Peace," he added.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/Danieland.HK.Page/photos/a.10151866830299553.1073741830.23944639552/10153612570354553/?type=3&theater[/embed]4. Lee Young Ae and Jeong Ho Yeong
Photo: The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
The couple: Korean actress Lee Young Ae married Korean-American businessman Jeong Ho Yeong in 2009 in a low key wedding. The wedding took fans by surprise and Lee initially did not reveal her husband's identity, referring to him only by his last name in interviews.
The actress headlined blockbuster drama Jewel In The Palace, the 2003 Korean drama that was a huge hit in Singapore.
The children: Lee gave birth twins, a boy and a girl, on Feb 20, 2011, at the age of 40. A radiant photo shows her with her babies in the May cover of JLook magazine, a South Korean lifestyle monthly. She was then serving as its guest editor-in-chief.
In mummy mode: "For 20 years I've lived as an actress, and now I'm living as Seung Kwon and Seung Bin's mum. The version of me who received such a glamorous spotlight was happy, but the life of being a mum of two kids is another happiness," she said in an interview.
5. Fann Wong and Christopher Lee
Photo: Lianhe Wanbao
The couple: The couple starred in the Mediacorp romantic comedy film The Wedding Game as famous celebrities who stage a love affair and get engaged for publicity.
Released in January 2009, the movie was quickly followed by a real wedding when the lovebirds registered their marriage on May 16, 2009.
Back in 1998, the pair had played star-crossed lovers Yang Guo and Little Dragon Girl in TV adaptation of the classic wuxia drama The Return Of The Condor Heroes.
The child: The couple's first son Zed was born on Aug 9, 2014, when Fann was 43. His English name was chosen because it was short and sweet. His Chinese name is Lee Xi Quan, a positive reference to the breaking of dawn.
In daddy mode: Lee said on the day his son was born: "It's a very good feeling. My arm is very big and I need to learn how to hold the baby. I'm trying to learn every step with my wife."
6. Peter Chan and Sandra Ng
Photo: Apple Daily
The couple: Hong Kong power couple Sandra Ng, 51, and Peter Chan, 54, are still together despite talk of infidelity on Chan's part. In response to the rumours, Chan declared that Ng was the love of his life.
The children: They have a 10-year-old daughter, Jillian. Ng gave birth to her in 2006, when she was 41.
In mummy mode: Ng, wanting the best for her daughter, has three rules: "No using of smartphone, no watching YouTube videos and no watching of any meaningless cartoons."
7. Lin Ching-hsia and Michael Ying
Photo: Apple Daily
The couple: Taiwanese actress Lin Ching-hsia, 62, married Hong Kong billionaire Michael Ying, 67, on June 29, 1994. She slowly withdrew from the entertainment industry to take care of her family.
The children: Lin gave birth to her first child Ying Oi Lam at age 41 and her second child, Ying Yin Oi, when she was 46. She also raised a stepdaughter, Claudine Ying, from her husband's previous marriage.
In mummy mode: When celebrating her 60th birthday in 2014, Lin posted a message on Weibo: "I have three well-behaved daughters; I have a good husband; they're always supporting and tolerating me silently."
Sources: China Daily, Toggle, Soompi, All K Pop, Asian Pop News
This article was first published on April 4, 2016.
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