Godfrey Gao death: Celebs who took part in Chinese variety show say it's 'exhausting' and 'difficult'

It's been a day but the sudden death of Taiwanese-Canadian actor-model Godfrey Gao still has us reeling in shock.

The 35-year-old heartthrob collapsed while filming the Chinese variety game show, Chase Me. He was then rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead, said his agency JetStar Entertainment.

In a statement, Zhejiang TV, which produces Chase Me, confirmed that it was a sudden cardiac death.

After Godfrey's death, Chinese actress Elaine Zhong, who dropped out of the nighttime show, described it as "exhausting" in a Weibo chat with her fans.

In a screenshot of a conversation being circulated on Weibo, the actress wrote: "Thinking about it, (his death) is not impossible because it's (the show) really exhausting. The heart really can't take (the strain). I filmed for two weeks and decided not to continue.

"It's no joke. It's easy for something bad to happen. After I finished filming, I had to take a break for half a month."

Elaine, 26, even claimed that she took Jiuxin pills — a traditional Chinese medicine pill that is said to help with cardiovascular diseases — for three consecutive days after the shoot.

Chase Me sees young athletic celebrities tackle a physically intensive obstacle course that involves lots of running.

A clip of Hong Kong singer-actor William Chan talking about the show also surfaced on Weibo and he described it as "really difficult".

He said: "Filming Chase Me is really difficult. Whenever we wrap up and return to the hotel, it's around 6 to 7am. I've always said I love to exercise but never to this extent. Not to the extent of running all the way till morning."

Since news of Godfrey's death broke, the internet has been abuzz with circumstances surrounding his tragic demise. It was reported that he appeared to be suffering from a cold on the day of his death. He was also said to have worked for 17 hours straight before he collapsed.

According to netizens who claimed to be at the scene, Godfrey said "I can't go on" before he fell.

ALSO READ: 'You were such a gentleman': Godfrey Gao's sudden death leaves celebrities grieving and in disbelief

A behind-the-scenes video taken by a fan claimed to show the model-actor during the filming of Chase Me was uploaded on YouTube. The 15-second video showed a man, who appeared to be Godfrey, running on the set while looking visibly tired.

Godfrey was best known for his role as the charismatic male lead in the TV drama Remembering Lichuan, as well as his dashing good looks as Louis Vuitton's first male Asian face.

He made his Hollywood debut as warlock Magnus Bane in 2013's The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

bryanlim@asiaone.com