One of the worst-kept secrets in Asian showbiz is finally out as Taiwanese actor Talu Wang confirmed that Malaysian singer-actress Joey Chua is his girlfriend.
In a Weibo post promoting his appearance with Joey on season four of the Chinese programme Wow! Nice Figure, Talu, 31, wrote: "Is there any sport my girlfriend can't do well in?"
In case there is any doubt, he also tagged Joey in the post.
According to Taiwanese media, Talu's manager only confirmed that their relationship is currently stable and replied with a "thank you".
While Talu has been coy about the status of their relationship prior to this revelation, the pair first sparked rumours after their appearance on A Journey For Love, a Chinese reality show for divorced female celebrities to find love again. It ran from January to April 2021.
Joey was a participant in the show while Talu was one of the hosts. They seemingly had a brother-sister relationship with Talu calling Joey as "my only little sister" and referring to himself as her "big brother".
However, tongues started wagging when the pair were spotted smooching and canoodling in public sometime in May 2021.
[[nid:538408]]
According to recorded footage that went public, the couple were tipsy and behaving intimately with Talu pulling down Joey's face mask to kiss her passionately.
Then in July of that same year, their public display of affection made the news once again.
Talu and Joey were spotted sightseeing together at Lama Temple in Beijing. Two days later, she visited him on the set of his new film, before going to an onsen together.
At a garden there, Talu got Joey to sit on his lap while they hugged, kissed, and chatted.
Now that it's official, perhaps interested parties can finally stop speculating and return to their regular lives.
Oh, celebrity gossip, whatever will we do without them?
bryanlim@asiaone.com
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.