We don’t think anyone was surprised when rumours swirled in 2019 that Chinese actress Gong Li, now 58, and French composer Jean-Michel Jarre, 76, had secretly gotten hitched.
After all, the couple always seemed like the picture of bliss.
However, winning Gong Li’s heart wasn’t easy and Jean-Michel had to work hard for it.
According to reports, the actress turned Jean-Michel down when he first proposed to her in 2017.
Apparently, he thought he could win her hand by getting on bended knee and declaring he earned 500mil yuan (S$92.4mil) a year, and that supporting her would not be a problem.
While that might work on most women, it did not on Gong Li, who replied that she did “not lack money”.
Well, she is one of the top Chinese actresses, after all.
Instead, what she wanted was a partner who could keep up with her active lifestyle.
Gong Li told Jean-Michel, who was then 70: “I need to do aerobic exercises four times a week. Can you keep up?”
Challenge accepted. Not only did Jean-Michel refuse to back down, he became even more determined.
He began working out regularly and went to the hospital for health check-ups.
With his medical report in hand to prove that he was still “fit and capable”, he proposed to Gong Li again and she accepted.
Gong Li was previously married to Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Seong for 14 years. They divorced in 2010.
Meanwhile, Jean-Michel had three prior marriages, including a 20-year union to English actress Charlotte Rampling.