Could this be one of the strangest rumours in showbiz recently?
According to a report by Hong Kong publication On.cc last Friday (Aug 11) about rumours circulating in China, Tony Leung allegedly has an illegitimate child with Chinese star Cheng Xiao, 25.
The rumours said that the 61-year-old veteran Hong Kong actor was spotted shopping with Cheng Xiao in Japan last year and she had given birth to their illegitimate child.
In addition to that, Tony allegedly bought a property for them in Japan. To add on to the drama, Hong Kong publication ST Headlines reported that other versions of the rumours claimed that Tony's wife, actress Carina Lau, 57, flew to Japan and confronted Cheng Xiao about their affair.
Responding to the rumours, Cheng Xiao, who was a former member of South Korean girl group Cosmic Girls, clarified through her management team in a Weibo post last Saturday, writing that it is "outrageously fake".
While Tony did not comment on the rumour, Carina made an Instagram post last Friday with a photo of herself posing with some flowers, seemingly unaffected by the rumours.
In the caption, she wrote: "Twilight. Jogging after a shower, you can smell the light grass, flowers and earth clearly along the way."
Tony and Carina married in an exclusive Buddhist-inspired ceremony in Bhutan in 2008 after dating for 19 years. The wedding ceremony reportedly cost HK$30 million (S$5 million).
Over the years, reports surfaced from time to time, writing that the couple were rumoured to have divorced or separated. However, they have always emerged as the power couple in awards shows and social media, with Carina being the extrovert, leading the introverted and awkward Tony during events.
In June, Carina celebrated Tony's 61st birthday and posted two photos of him on her Instagram profile as a birthday tribute.
Tony once said in an interview that when he immersed himself too much into a role, he would feel a little depressed, but whenever he thought about Carina and saw her, all his depressive emotions would dissipate, and so to Tony, Carina is his "antidote".
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