After two years of lying low and away from the media spotlight, former Hong Kong actor Marco Ngai has resurfaced.

The 55-year-old was recently revealed as the spokesperson for a China company.

Based on responses to the video published on Tuesday (April 18) however, it wasn't so much what he said but rather what he looked like, which raised eyebrows.

Marco appeared noticeably fuller-faced and stockier — a far cry from his younger days as one of TVB's leading men as well as his reputation for being an "auntie killer".

His more rotund build prompted stunned netizens to cry out in disbelief, reported an article in Sina Weibo.

And they didn't hold back on their criticisms.

"Why are you so fat, Marco?", "There's a big difference between this person and the image on the poster", and "Where's his neck?" were some of the more savage remarks.

To rub salt into the wound, the report compared Marco to his former TVB compatriots such as Lawrence Ng and Michael Tao, whose looks appear to have withstood the test of time. Incidentally, both stars have never been married, the report added.

Could Marco's well-documented failed marriage have accelerated his aging process then?

In 2020, Marco's ex-wife Zhang Lihua was exposed for cheating on him, with paparazzi photos showing Zhang holding hands with a man and kissing him in a taxi before heading up to his apartment.

Zhang, who's 20 years Marco's junior, later told the media that the couple had been sleeping in separate bedrooms for five years but still lived in the same house for their daughter's sake.

The scandal quickly became tabloid fodder, with one report in 2021 stating that the actor had contemplated suicide due to the mental burden following the divorce and lack of work opportunities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to reports, Marco has appeared in several stage dramas in the past two years, but has put most of his time and effort into caring for his 12-year-old daughter with Zhang.

His ex, on the other hand, appears to be living the high life based on her social media accounts, where she is often seen wearing branded clothing and attending high-profile media events.

With regard to Marco's most recent advertising deal, Sina Weibo reported on netizens' sentiments regarding the actor's "low" asking fee of 350,000 yuan (S$67,800) for two years, as well as a 60,000 yuan appearance fee, which they also considered to be below average.

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candicecai@asiaone.com

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