Mandopop singer Wang Leehom is stepping aside from showbiz for the time being, after successive revelations about his marriage and divorce surfaced over the weekend.
He announced in a now-viral Facebook post midday on Monday (Dec 20) that he is taking a break, for now, to give his parents and three children some attention as they heal from the fallout of the messy and very public split between him and his wife Lee Jinglei.
Moreover, he said he will not be issuing any other explanations and denials to the public.
“After much thought, I believe a man should still hold full responsibility,” he wrote.
“I didn’t manage my marriage well, caused problems for everyone, and didn’t upkeep the image that an idol should have. It was all my fault. I sincerely apologise to my parents, Jinglei and our children. It’s meaningless now to talk about the past since we are already divorced.
“From now on, I will work on my actions and behaviour, and fulfil the responsibilities that a father, son and public figure have.”
Wang and Lee, who were married in 2013, announced that they had filed for divorce on Dec 15, although rumours of their break-up had been circulating since June.
“Jinglei and I live very simple private lives, so we will not be responding to any media enquiries. I’ve had too many shortcomings during my marriage these past few years, and I feel very regretful.”
“Now, we have different ideas and plans for the future, so we have decided to live separate lives. Although we have already submitted the application, we will always be a family. We request privacy and space from the outside world, do not disturb our family. Thank you for your concern,” he said in a Facebook post.
However, following the announcement of their divorce, discoveries about their eight-year marriage, including alleged adultery, bribery and marital strife, began circulating online last weekend.
However, Lee, who is ten years younger than the Mandopop star and is not in show business, took to social media on Dec 17 and released a multipage letter detailing Wang’s numerous infidelities during their marriage.
A few sections of her letter, as translated by Taiwan News, can be found below:
“When I married, I thought we would be family for life, so I wholeheartedly put everything I had into our family. As you are 10 years older than me and wanted many children, I was constantly being pushed to bear more children, so I gave up my job and my personal life and made you and our children the centre of my life.”
Among her other disclosures were that she had allegedly been asked to sign an “unequal prenuptial agreement,” and that Wang had been unfaithful.
Following the publication of Lee’s letter, Wang quickly lost his contracts with car and jewellery brands like Infiniti China and Chow Tai Seng.
However, Wang’s father decided to air his side of the story, contacting Taiwanese media with a letter claiming that Lee had forced Wang into marriage after getting pregnant and threatened to release a tell-all to the media.
Lee countered this on Sunday, uploading another letter on her Instagram account, saying she felt sad that Wang’s 80-year-old father had to lie to defend his son. /TISG