Peter Yu breaks silence on daughter taking Addy Lee's surname

He has finally spoken about his estranged daughter.

In a recent interview with Lianhe Wanbao, local actor Peter Yu talked about how he felt when his daughter Eleanor took on her godfather Addy Lee's surname in 2013.

"There isn't a dad who doesn't mind his daughter changing her surname, but ultimately, what's most important is her happiness," the 51-year-old said.

He had kept mum on the matter at the time because he wanted to protect his ex-wife Quan Yi Fong and their child.

"Yi Fong and I were working on our issues then," he added. "Our daughter was innocent and didn't know what had happened between us adults."

Peter and Yi Fong went through a high-profile divorce in 2008 after 10 years of marriage.

Following their split, she went on to raise their daughter by herself.

On her 20th birthday in October, Eleanor penned a moving tribute to her mum on social media, sharing the difficult circumstances of her birth, and thanking Yi Fong for bringing her up.

When the Chinese evening daily asked Peter about his absence during Eleanor's childhood, he replied: "Is there any meaning to this now? It is water under the bridge, there's no need to ask who's in the right or wrong."

"The future is more important than the past."

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He has since buried the hatchet with Yi Fong and hopes to repair his estranged relationship with his daughter. However, he acknowledges that it would take time for the hurt to heal.

And it appears that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree — Eleanor has followed her parents' footsteps into showbiz and is now carving out a career in China.

Her achievements thus far have made them proud — the budding actress is already getting leading roles in productions and she has been named one of Chinese web dramas' rising stars this year.

"I'm following her work and will support her quietly," Peter said. "It's great that she has broken into China's market, I'm glad that Eleanor is doing what she likes."

The actor added that he is thankful to Addy who helped Eleanor get a foot in the entertainment industry.

Back in 2015, the celebrity hairstylist shared her photos on WeChat which eventually landed her a role in an Apple China ad.

lamminlee@asiaone.com