Just two days after Taiwanese host-actress Linda Chien, also known as Butterfly, announced her pregnancy on social media, she is refuting rumours and calling out a "former friend" for spreading them.
On Monday (Sept 2), she made a surprise return to social media with a photo of a prenatal 3D ultrasound scan, which attracted waves of congratulations from netizens.
Linda, who is turning 41 this month, was embroiled in a scandal in 2020 when Chinese influencer Grace Chow, Show Lo's girlfriend at the time, outed her as the third party in their relationship.
She subsequently posted an apology on Instagram and left the entertainment industry.
Since her post on Monday, Taiwanese media have also reported that an alleged friend of hers revealed she is expecting a daughter and is due in October.
They also claimed her husband is a doctor from Shanghai and that Linda is still in contact with her friend, Taiwanese actress Riva Chang, also known as Xiao Tiantian, who persuaded her not to return to showbiz.
However, not all may be true.
In a Threads post today, Linda wrote: "I haven't had any contact with this former friend for a long time, I don't understand why there are rumours and fake news going around? Maybe you want to maintain your relationship with the media, but do you need to exchange it with false content?
"The habit of selling out friends for glory and playing the victim to gain attention and sympathy needs to change. Otherwise, there is a high probability that others will jump in just to create a wave of news to gain popularity.
"But I'm sorry, at this moment, I am taking care of my baby and haven't even had the time to sleep. I won't be cooperating with you and will take care of my son first."
While most netizens congratulated Linda and cheered her on, there were also others who speculated about the "former friend" that she referred to.
A netizen wrote: "I think it's Xiao Tiantian."
"Is it Xiao Tiantian? I saw a lot of reports about a 'friend' or 'insider' and felt troubled by it. What rights do they have to represent you to express opinions? All the best Linda, your baby must be very cute," another netizen commented.
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