In May, veteran ex-TVB actor Chun Wong was hospitalised after suffering a fall in a hotel.
After his discharge, the 76-year-old, who is now wheelchair-bound, was placed in a nursing home. At that time, Chun Wong told Hong Kong media that he was still adapting to life there after two months.
Recently, Hong Kong media ST Headline visited the actor at the nursing home, where he said living there turned out to be a “blessing in disguise”.
Chun Wong was found to be suffering from anemia and is malnourished. The bad blood circulation in his body has also caused both his legs to be swollen.
He now has go to the hospital every week for physiotherapy. His good pal and Friendly Fire co-star Hong Kong actress Alice Chan also kindly pays for a masseuse to visit him at the nursing home every week for treatment.
According to the article, Chun Wong has to wear diapers all the time, and the nursing home staff would give him a shower every two days.
Chun Wong sleeps in a common hall where the beds are separated by curtains. After he wakes up every morning, he will be taken to his private corner to have his meals and watch TV.
According to Chun Wong, he has gotten used to life there and is very satisfied with his living conditions.
“When I first came to the nursing home, I didn’t eat rice and lost 27kg. Even my tummy got smaller. But I didn’t dare become too skinny so I started eating small bowls of rice. Now that I’m eating rice again, I’m starting to look better too,” he said.
He also shared that his health is slowly getting better.
“My right leg is very strong but my left leg is slightly weaker. [The staff] can help me up and assist me to walk a few steps, but I’m so scared and I am not confident to be able to walk for long,” confessed the actor.
The reporter, however, noticed that Chun Wong’s legs are still very swollen, and that he had a bandage on his right leg.
The actor said it was just a small wound that was taking a long time to heal. “The staff here will make sure my wound is well-protected”.
As Chun Wong previously mentioned, his nursing home fees and other expenses are fully covered by social assistance.
On top of the HK$11K (S$1.8K) hospitalisation subsidy he receives every month, he also gets a monthly HK$4000 (S$668) from the government and no longer has to worry about having to work.
He said he gets very excited on his ‘pay day’ every month and would ask his friend to take him downstairs to buy snacks.
“We have dinner here at 5pm, so I need to buy cup noodles for supper,” he laughed.
While Chun Wong feels relieved now that he’s receiving social assistance, he actually doesn’t mind going back to work.
“If [TVB] doesn’t mind that I need to be in a wheelchair and can only take one or two steps, then I don’t mind people seeing me like that too. I hope they don’t forget me,” he said.
In fact, his pals from TVB’s long-form series Come Home Love: Lo and Behold have already told him to “come back and have fun [on the show]” when he gets better.
The actor also opened up about selling his Hong Kong property and using all his savings to help repay his eldest daughter and her husband’s debts which amounted to HK$3mil (S$520K).
Chun Wong admitted that he regrets helping his daughter, who went MIA after declaring bankruptcy with her husband.
Chun Wong was prepared to declare bankruptcy himself.
“The bank did chase me to pay up, but they stopped after a while. They probably gave up ‘cos they know I won’t be able to pay. But I’m already in my 70s, I don’t mind going bankrupt,” he said.
Chun Wong’s biggest worry now is his Chinese ex-girlfriend Mary, who’s 30 years his junior.
Admitting that they’ve ended their relationship of 20 years, he lamented: “She would need to spend thousands of dollars if she were to come over and visit me. She didn’t want to spend that kind of money and I didn’t want her to bear that cost too.”
He then added that he wants to focus on taking care of himself now and doesn’t blame Mary for what has happened.
“It’s not her fault, I’m the one who didn’t look for her,” he said.
Looking back at their relationship, Chun Wong said Mary, who was only 20 when they first got together, wanted to have kids with him.
Chun Wong, however, did not and even told her to have the kid with someone else and bring them back for him to raise.
Mary eventually did have a daughter, and mother-and-daughter moved to Shenzhen to live with Chun Wong.
He said he didn’t mind Mary having sex with another man despite being his girlfriend.
“After she moved back to be with me, she never left and stayed loyal. If she wanted to break up because she wanted a kid and I didn’t, I think that’s her right too.”
He then shared that he had transferred ownership of his house in Hunan to Mary and her daughter many years ago.
“I still think of them once in a while, but it’s all in the past.”