Simon Yam’s wife says that sleeping enough is why their 15-year-old daughter is 1.8m tall

Ella Yam, 15-year-old daughter of Simon Yam and Qi Qi has won the genetic lottery by inheriting her parents’ good looks. She is also blessed with an enviable height of 1.8 m.

Simon used to object to his daughter joining the entertainment industry but has since stopped and following that, brands have queued up to cast the leggy teen in campaigns. Talent agencies are trying to sign her up as an artiste but Simon put a stop to that and rejected them all.

Last year, she became the youngest person ever to grace the cover of Cosmopolitan Hongkong. “At this stage in her life, studies come first,” Simon once shared in an interview. “We’re okay with her doing photo shoots because it’s a short commitment and taking photos is a way of creating moments to look back on when you’re older (…) I enjoy taking candid shots of her too.”

Qi Qi, Ella’s supermodel mum took to Instagram Live over the weekend where she shared about Ella’s growth spurt. “She’s managed to grow this tall because she has enough sleep every night,” Qi Qi said. “She goes to bed at 9 pm almost every day. This is a really good habit and I think it’s the reason she’s grown so tall and has good skin.”

Not everyone was quite as convinced that sleeping early works wonders. One netizen joked: “Qi Qi seems to have forgotten that Ella has Simon Yam and Qi Qi as her parents. Even if she slept four hours a day, I’m sure she would be her height sooner or later.” Another netizen agreed that Qi Qi’s advice didn’t work for him, claiming that he’s been sleeping at 9 pm since he was in pre-school because his parents are very strict, and he is only 1.7 m at 18 years old.

Born March 19 1955, Simon Yam Tat-wah is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival and box office hits such as Naked Killer, SPL: Sha Po Lang, Election, Election 2 , Exiled, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life and The Thieves.

Simon was previously married to his first wife Ho Sui-yi from 1981 and they divorced in 1986. In 1997 Yam married Sophia Kao, known as Qi Qi, an international model. Qi Qi was born in Shanghai, but raised in Austria. They have a daughter, Ella.