The Star reported on Wednesday that during a recent livestream, Chen described Li as both a devoted father and a generous former husband.
“He gave the house to his ex-wife and even bought her a better car,” Chen said during the livestream. “He didn’t take a single cent with him.”
Li, now 63, married Huang, 61, in 1987 before the couple divorced three years later.
Chen said Li continued to fully support the couple’s two daughters, Si Li and Taimi Li, covering their living and educational expenses after the separation.
“He has far exceeded his [parental] obligations and is not the heartless person some have portrayed him to be,” she said.
Actor Jet Li. Photo from Li’s Instagram
Chen also addressed long-running speculation surrounding Li’s relationship with his current wife, actress Nina Li Chi. Rumors had circulated for years that the pair began dating while filming the 1989 action movie “Dragon Fight,” before Li’s divorce from Huang was finalized.
Chen denied the claims, insisting that Li only pursued a relationship with Nina after his first marriage had officially ended, per 8days.
Li married Nina in 1999, and the couple have two daughters together, Jane Li and Jada Li.
Chen, 67, is the second wife of 78-year-old entertainment mogul Heung, founder of Win’s Entertainment and later China Star Entertainment, one of Hong Kong’s best-known film production companies. The company played a major role in the careers of stars including Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow, Andy Lau and Johnnie To.
Born in Beijing, Li experienced financial hardship after his father died when he was two years old. Recognized as a wushu prodigy at age eight, he went on to become China’s national all-around champion from 1975 to 1979 before retiring from competition at 18 because of a knee injury.
His athletic success paved the way for a career in martial arts cinema. Li rose to fame with “Shaolin Temple,” which became a major box-office hit in China, followed by its sequel “Kids From Shaolin,” the country’s highest-grossing film of 1984.
Li later made his Hollywood debut in “Lethal Weapon 4” and went on to star in international productions including “The Expendables” and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”
In 2011, Li confirmed he had obtained Singaporean citizenship, according to AFP.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source e.vnexpress.net ’
