Alex Fong and Stephy Tang End 10-Year Relationship
Dating for a decade, Alex Fong (方力申) and Stephy Tang (方力申) were dubbed as one of Hong Kong’s golden couple. Living together for years, the pair was often asked when they planned to tie the knot. It came as a shock when the pair announced their split yesterday.
Although Alex refused to comment on the matter, Stephy instead published an extensive message on Weibo to voice her feelings. “It is with a heavy heart that this decision was made. A ten-year relationship is not easy. In these ten years, we have been on the same road and working hard towards the same goal. But gradually, our pace changed and we began to view things differently. Ten years ago, we got together because we liked each other. Ten years later, we are splitting because of understanding.”
Defending Alex, Stephy took the initiative to clarify any assumptions of a third party involvement. “Alex is one of the best men I have ever known. I do not have the blessing to be with him until old age. I ask everyone not to make any assumptions. There was no third party involved. We did not do anything to hurt each other.”
Stephy hopes that they will both find greater happiness in the future with different respective partners. “Separation is to allow us to perhaps find a greater love, and a more fitting partner.”
Stephy continued, “As an onscreen couple, everyone adored us. But as a real-life couple playing lovers onscreen, there was a lot of pressure. Everyone’s hope and expectations for us, everyone’s well wishes for us… I can only say sorry! We have disappointed everyone! Our love was real. It wasn’t fake or pretentious. Even though our relationship has changed, I will continue to see him as one of my closest family member whom I will continue to protect, just in a different way.”
Source: ihktv.com; Oriental Daily
This article is written by Huynh for JayneStars.com.
Not surprised by this at all. 10 years is a very long time so hopefully they will have no regrets after. The trends these days seem to be
1.) Date someone for a very very long time.
2.) Break up with that person.
3.) Find someone else to date and married that person all within a year.
4.) During wedding, announce happy baby news!
Best of luck to the both of them.
@happybi Haha! Your list is so on point.
@happybi Lol. Just like Myolie and Linda end their relationship just like that.
@happybi lol. But so far the only 2 that I know that fit in this category is Myolie and Linda. Who else that I’m not aware of?
@kaykay408
There are many many more. The other 2 that fit into this category is Taiwanese singer/actor Ken Zhu who dated and lived with Taiwanese actress Kelly(suddenly forgot her last name) for years and then broke up. Not long after dated this other guy from outside the circle for a very short time and then got married right away. Another is Barbie Hsu who dated Vic Zhou for years just to break up and then married her current husband after just knowing him for just a few short months. I guess whoever you are with is separated by just a thin line. There are many more that I do not remember at the moment.
Another example I can share is my third brother’s best friend who dated a girl for many years and was about to marry her but broke up at the last minute. He then met this other girl for only 6 months and then married her right away. It does not only apply to only celebs.
@kaykay408 I was actually thinking of Barbie Hsu that @hetieshou mention.
but the list is only something for fun as seem like a trends these days!
@happybi
Well said and that seems to be the pattern not just with celebs but with regular citizens too. I guess that is fate for you. You can be with someone for years just to break up and then meet another person and marry them within just a short time. Fate is truly separated by just a thin line.
That is why my mom would never allow me to date for a long period of time without getting married. That is a big no no in her book.
@hetieshou It really depends.. if they are young, I think it’s Ok to date for a long time.. but once you hit your late 20s to early 30s, if there are still no plans to get married then it’s a sign to move on!!!
@happybi
Yes,it really does depend. I can tell you one of my aunts did not get married until 43. It was her first marriage too. She was lucky to meet my uncle but sadly met him too late in life. She was already infertile so can not have kids anyways, but needed companionship which I am glad she found.
@hetieshou My SIL didn’t have her first baby till she was 41. She didn’t get married (her first marriage too) till she was 38 and then it took them 3 years to finally succeed in having a baby via IVF. Glad your Aunt found her other half.. It makes me sad sometime when people waste so much time dating and deciding what they want in life. As when they realize what they want, it may be too late and they will have issue with having kids. Look at Tyra Banks.. she work so hard and when she finally decide to have a baby, she have infertility issue. Thank goodness for surrogate so she finally got what she wanted but sometime, waiting is no good. Especially for a woman.
the golden couple… every duet song they sang was a hit and still a hit in today karaoke bars and still enjoyable to listen hard to believe their ending it!
Well it’s semi-true what they say. Cohabitation before marriage can lead to too much comfort between a couple before they’ve established a forever promise to each other. I mean, it may not be the case here, but it’s a possibility.
If couples haven’t gotten married by say, 4-5 years, the stats are much higher against them for ever getting married. Look at Myolie Wu, Linda Chung, Shirley Yeung. On the other hand, for those that have been together for eons before marriage, well, those relationships tend to be fairly strong and will most likely last the ages (Law Kar Ying & Liza Wang.)
If marriage is an end goal, girls should exit the game asap with the guys they’re with by the 4-5 years mark. If the love is genuine, there shouldn’t be a hold up.
@coralie very true…they lived together for 10 years which is a very long time. they know each other too well, so signing on the dotted line doesn’t have any significance.
@janet72 yup, it’s unfortunate but sometimes ppl get so comfortable with each other they don’t feel the need to make it official anymore.
@coralie :
While technically I agree with you and happybi who laid it out so neatly … here’s my take:
What WILL meeting the ‘marriage’ deadline at the end of 4-5 yrs of living together (max) guarantee and achieve?
Marriage isn’t an end-all talisman. Pple can just as comfortably be in a lacklustre marriage and want out after 12-15 yrs together, from start to end. Or when they meet someone else.
Just that it’s not called a breakup then, but divorce
I’d rather chalk it to destiny whether pple actually last the entire journey together.
@nomad822
I agree and I do not feel that there should be a deadline. It really varies from couple to couple. I believe that it is destiny/fate if a couple can last a lifetime together which is becoming more rare these days. People can still divorce after 40 plus years of marriage too. A marriage takes a lot of work to maintain in order to be happy and last. Many couples can last but are not happy together anymore.
@nomad822 I agree with your views on marriage. I feel the same way. But I also think it’s more than destiny wether people can last together, love is a choice not a coincidence or feeling in my opinion.
@nomad822 meeting the deadline to some girls mean a LOT. like Linda Chung. after so many yrs with Phillip Ng, he still hasn’t popped the question when Linda wants that official title. maybe if that legal title wasn’t so important to the girl, then marriage wouldn’t matter to either party. but a lot of women care. marriage doesn’t guarantee anything nor how long the relationship will last but what it can provide is an upfront promise (with legal, financial and social repercussions should the promise be broken.) It’s a security blanket.
some ppl get so comfortable living together that they no longer feel the need to make that official promise because everything feels like they made that agreement already. and thus, there’s always a fallback loophole. breaking up has no consequences. they might not put as much effort to keep the relationship together.
i don’t think marriage guarantees anything either, but for some women, marriage matters.
@coralie
True, for some it’s a deadline they’ve set for themselves. Linda Cheung, Shirley Yeung etc. Esp if it’s kids they always wanted.
And unfortunately for 30-something women that deadline keeps ticking. That biological body clock, the limited shelf life.
Doesn’t help that bzbody aunties and relatives will keep adding the pressure to ask if: 1) you’re getting attached, if so – when marriage 2) when the babies are coming 3) (well meaning maybe) … but still intrusive – offer to matchmake! (In Korea, 35 is generally deemed passe). 4) in traditional Asian cultures (and PRC mindset is one of these) – even someone is merrily single … married women will think something is wrong wirh you = remaining single CANNOT be a personal choice one makes. One cannot be single, they should all want to be hitched!
@nomad822 yes exactly. where kids are concerned, women are definitely on a timeline. and if the guy isn’t ready, why should the woman jump a step ahead to accomodate the guy? they have to go on to the next best one. if she prefers to remain childless, that’s a different story. then she might not care whether she gets the title or not. but to anyone who wants to get married so they can have kids someday, 4-5 years wait time is pretty maxed out.
They actually look very cute together. How sad!
Oh well, I love the way she sums it up, it sounds very nice and genuine. At least way better than the one that says we gained a brother/sister after divorcing.
I agree w/most. If you are living together for over 5 years, they are probably never getting married.
Hmm, I didn’t know they both have same Chinese name xD Oopsie
@jjwong It was typo to put Alex Chinese name in both places. Their names are different.
What WILL meeting the ‘marriage’ deadline at the end of 4-5 yrs of living together (max) guarantee and achieve?
Marriage isn’t an end-all magical talisman. Pple can just as comfortably be in a lacklustre marriage and still want out after 12-15 yrs together, from start to end. Or when they meet someone else that excite them more, or that they can connect with more.
Just that it will not be called a breakup then, but divorce.
I’d rather think it has to do with destiny.
I’ve always had a feeling that this is going to happen. Just a matter of time. Alex has very thin upper lips (ok don’t take this lips comment too serious lol, it’s just what I heard a lot from the aunties. You know what I’m talking about 😉
Seriously though, just out of curiosity, is it a requirement/rule that celebrities have to officially announce their break ups to the world, like a detail explanation in writing, press conference, etc…? After all it’s their personal lives, not work related so why do they always feel like they are obligated to answer and report to the fans about their relationship status?
@kaykay408
i do agree with you that its their personal lives but
sadly, thats the price asian celebrity have to pay 🙁
Like the saying ” eat salty fish, have to stand the thirst “
@kaykay408
Well you know that is how it always is as a public figure. You sacrifice your personal life and your personal life becomes the story for the world to hear. I think it is good to be open about it as people will know sooner or later and then you will be accused of lying and then have to explain this and that.
@kaykay408 some celebs do it cus they need to move forward with their lives and let others know they are now up for grabs. Imagine if everyone thought you’re still with a particular someone, noone would approach you romantically. If the relationship is young, then they don’t really need to make much of a statement (papz can tell) but if it’s an old relationship like Stephy & Alex, it’s better if they come forward to crush any hopes of them being together.
@coralie :
True. And they seem a very down to earth, low key type couple too. Pity.
Via the grapevine (esp with these diligent bzbody papz and speculating netizens) – people often can tell whether a couple (esp celeb couple bec they’re under such high scrutiny) is off or on.
Though in the case of a longtime couple who may see each other off/on … it may be somewhat harder to detect unless they were living together and one completely moved out.
Agree – making a ‘single and available’ status official then may be useful for moving forward.
But Marriage, among the ‘gold-digging’ crowd (as I have outlined in the Aaron Kwok thread) = that rock on finger and having that official wife status after snaring the golden boy 太子爷/富二代 finally = does NOT guarantee other honeys will NOT approach/attract and that everything will remain rosy. Few play ethically by the rules of the game. Especially if ‘wife’ is now vulnerable in middle age, with a few young kids in picture and less sexy, aging beauty queen former starlet/now part of socialite tai-tai crowd. The willing eye-candy competition keeps coming with no holds barred (married dudes or otherwise).
Didn’t know this couple is so popular. Stephy is a bigger star than Alex right? He didn’t make any impact even in small screen limelight years.
Love is a choice, because passion is fleeting, when thing get rough you either choose to stay together and work through the differences or to walk away.
Not saying there’s no such things like irreconcilable differences but then again, after 10 years together, what can’t they compromise if not about marriage/kids?
@peanutbutterjelly
In total agreement. However, it also depends on what factors brought folk together.
If it was lust and beauty for him/money, clout-status and stability for her = it will remain he will be selfishly pursuing that immediate gratification and next distracting figure he lusts over after a period of time … temptations aplenty, kids or not kids.
Kids are NOT any magic glue. Waning couples (married or otherwise in some dying longterm relationship) should never trap the other in the relationship be getting pregnant or squeezing out another innocent babe into the world = women seem to do this all the time.(recent case in pt – both the mistress/wife in the Alvin Chau case).
Poor kids – they didn’t asked to be brought out into the world, and used as manipulation/bargaining pawns too.
Nor is it cool, classy or genuine to keep the chains/keep tabs by showing up on set/calling hubby-bf every 30 mins to make sure he doesn’t stray. Even in the satisfying smugness of “I got him under my finger” … that’s really just SELF-delusion.
When the cat’s away the mouse will play.