Oscar-winning Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, 61, recently joined Gwyneth Paltrow on her Goop podcast, in which she opened up about her split from her first husband, Hong Kong business magnate Dickson Poon, 67.
Michelle and Dickson were married for three years before getting divorced in 1991.
During that marriage, Michelle had planned to step back from acting to start a family.
“I didn’t know [what] women, especially in our line of work, do when they juggle being pregnant, having a baby, [and] going back to work. I’m not a multitasker. My attitude has always been that if I’m going to do something, I have to be able to give it my best shot,” explained Michelle.
She continued: “It wasn’t about [Dickson] or anybody else. With our work, we’re always travelling. If you’re filming outside of the country, you [might] not see each other for a couple of months, and when both parties work it’s hard to find that balance. So I did [take a break]. It wasn’t pressure on his part. It was my decision at that point, to say if I want to have a real married life and be able to fulfil all these kinds of things, it would be good to step away from [acting].”
Ultimately, one of the main reasons Michelle and Dickson parted ways was because she was unable to have children.
“I love kids. That’s one of the biggest joys in anybody’s lives, but it is what it is. It wasn’t for the lack of trying. We did whatever was necessary to try, and unfortunately, physically, I was unable to,” said Michelle.
She made the decision to “step away” from the marriage, and looking back thinks she made the right decision instead of “pretending” things would work out.
“At that point, it was really my choice as well because I knew my ex wanted a big family, not just one son but two or three sons. He was working hard for a big empire and he needed sons to carry his lineage. So I was looking at myself like, ‘Oh god, [what if] 10 years down the road you can’t even have one, what are we going to do? That would be too late.”
“Yes, we did love each other, but then it doesn’t get better, because there are expectations,” she added.