Former pop idol Jimmy Lin and wife apologise for sitting on Rome's Spanish Steps

Thou shalt not sit on the Spanish Steps.

That is the lesson learnt by Taiwanese model Kelly Chen after she posted on Instagram a photo of herself sitting on the famous monument in Rome, Italy.

The 35-year-old model travelled to Rome recently for a vacation with her husband, Taiwanese singer-actor Jimmy Lin, and visited the Spanish Steps. The landmark is made famous by the movie Roman Holiday (1953), starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, and which earned Hepburn a Best Actress Oscar.

When Chen posted a photo of her sitting on the steps on Saturday (Aug 31), netizens commented that her action is no longer allowed since August. She also posted photos of her at the Colosseum.

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She deleted the photo on the Spanish Steps soon after and posted an apology on her Instagram account on Sunday.

She wrote: "The Rome government has issued new rules from August this year banning sitting, loitering or eating on historical monuments to protect the monuments... offenders can be fined up to 400 euros (S$610). I am deeply apologetic for setting a bad example yesterday by sitting on the Spanish Steps and taking a photo."

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Lin also posted an apology on his Instagram account, as he noted that this is the power of new media, as it can make an artist famous or infamous overnight.

The 44-year-old former pop idol married Chen in 2009 and they have three sons - one turns 10 in September and a pair of twins turn four in December.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.