'Wake up and repent': Peter Yu admits he didn't respect relationships with wife, parents and friends in the past

Peter Yu's past may not be pretty to look at, but he's changed for the better and hopes others can take a page out of his life story.

In a recent interview with AsiaOne for the new Mediacorp drama series Fix My Life, Peter shared his thoughts on his past and how his priorities in life have changed.

"In life, experience is always good — whether or not the event is good or bad, the most important thing is that you wake up and repent, and don't repeat the mistakes. In the future, these efforts will bear fruit," the 54-year-old said. 

He added that his actions now are a way to pass on the means of attaining this "fruit" to others.

Said the veteran actor: "Sometimes, I don't need to tell people — I am the living example. If you want to see if a tree is a good or a bad one, you'll have to look at its fruits.

"And I have the fruits — I'm enjoying life now, so I have to share my happiness and joy with everybody."

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Further explaining his analogy, Peter said that the "fruit" that he now relishes isn't just his career or family life, but his entire way of living.

But his current success came at a price — his past includes a history of vice, including drugs and gambling.

Peter also made headlines for his 2008 divorce with TV host Quan Yi Fong after a 10-year marriage, and his estranged relationship with his actress daughter Eleanor Lee.

Although he is now on talking terms with Yi Fong, 48, it is unclear if his relationship with his 23-year-old daughter has changed in any way.

When we brought up the topic of the mother-daughter duo, Peter smiled gently and said: "Let's not talk about it anymore."

He remarried in 2011 and the couple have two sons.

Speaking about how he's changed his way of life now, Peter shared: "In the past, I didn't realise just how important relationships with my wife, parents and friends were — I didn't give these relationships enough respect.

"But now, relationships — between friends, parents, my wife and my children — are a high priority for me."

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Peter also said the importance of relationships comes second only to his faith. His responsibilities to his job come afterwards.

"If anything happens, it's always human relationships first," he added.

"You can put down your job and take care of your friends, because friendship is also a relationship [to care for]... you must put down everything else and have your relationships take precedence."

In Fix My Life, Peter plays Liu Shirong, or Uncle Rong, a landlord and the owner of an antique shop.

While working with Fan Shede (James Seah) in selling items thrown out of homes in acts of 'decluttering', he meets a young woman He Yilan (Kayly Loh) and sparks fly.

Fix My Life also stars Hong Ling, Cavin Soh, Desmond Ng, Nick Teo, Liu Lingling and Aileen Tan. It is available on demand for free on meWATCH now and is shown weeknights at 9pm on Channel 8.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com

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