Gillian Chung’s Husband Had Trouble Keeping Up With Her Extravagant Lifestyle
All eyes are on Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐) and Taiwanese doctor Michael Lai (賴弘國) after the couple announced the end of their 14-month marriage. The public was initially skeptical of their relationship due to the disparity in their incomes. Even though Michael tried hard to accommodate to Gillian’s extravagant lifestyle, it was difficult for him to adjust to her celebrity spending habits.
Keeping Up with Gillian’s Spending
While Michael is a successful cosmetic gynecologist, it is still a far cry from Gillian’s income. In the early days of dating, Michael gave Gillian his credit card but had to rescind his offer after receiving the bill. Michael was shocked to discover how much Gillian could spend. Speaking of this, Michael once teased Gillian, “She really swiped it casually! She really didn’t hold back!”
During the couple’s vacation in Hawaii, Gillian suddenly suggested they get married and to buy a wedding ring. While Michael was overjoyed to hear Gillian’s idea, he was embarrassed when he found out that the ring exceeded his credit card limit. In order to pay for the ring, Michael had to ask his assistant in Taiwan to send him money.
When the couple was planning to get married, Michael wanted a small celebration in Los Angeles. While Michael invited a dozen close family and friends, Gillian invited more than 80 family members and friends. As Gillian didn’t want to use her own money to get married, Michael almost spent all his savings after the couple flew to Maldives for their honeymoon and exclaimed, “How can anyone go bankrupt from getting married!”
Depended on Gillian’s Finances?
When the couple was together, tabloids often painted Michael as a “soft-rice king”, a derogatory term for men who depend on women for monetary support. Michael was insulted and spoke onscreen of his own success, “I can say for certainty that I relied on myself for everything.”
Gillian also showed support of her ex-husband to shut down the gossips and said, “In fact, he didn’t spend my money, but I spent his. Especially before the wedding–I bought plane tickets and presents. It is expensive to host parties, so don’t say my husband eats ‘soft rice’.”
Marriage Challenged by Distance
Due to their work, the couple was often separated and Michael would often fly to Hong Kong to spend time with Gillian. Despite the long distance, the couple had hoped to make the relationship work as Gillian once shared, “Sometimes, he works until the early hours of the morning and flies to Hong Kong just to be with me.”
When the COVID-19 outbreak worsened in February, Michael was not afraid and specifically flew to visit Gillian in Malaysia, where she was filming a web drama. However, Gillian eventually asked Michael for a divorce, as she realized that she doesn’t love him and does not want to waste his time.
This is Michael’s second divorce. Despite his bittersweet marriage with Gillian, he doesn’t bear any hard feelings. The pair signed a prenuptial agreement and maintained separate finances during their marriage, so there in no conflict over financial matters.
Source: HK01
This article is written by Sammi for JayneStars.com.
Gillian Chung and Her Husband Lacked Sexual Intimacy for One Year
Gillian Chung’s Fiance, Michael Lai, is a Cosmetic Gynecologist
What’s a cosmetic gynaecologist??
@pompidur
i was wondering the same too. perhaps some women start getting lose down there and need to tighten up…. this man definitely is more familiar with a woman’s body than most women.
@m0m0 yeah lol didn’t know there was a specialist for this, I thought people just go to their usual gynae to get it fixed
@pompidur Regarding your question as to what a cosmetic gynecologist does:
“Michael’s clients are primarily postpartum women who are looking to enhance the aesthetics and performance of their genital parts, as well as older women who are experiencing menopausal discomfort and urinary incontinence.”
More background about Michael was covered in an older article:
https://www.jaynestars.com/news/gillian-chungs-fiance-michael-lai-is-a-cosmetic-gynecologist/
@jayne oh ok thanks jayne. Was just curious cos it seems to be such a specific profession.
Think Gillian needs to marry an old businessman or a businessman’s son. The bragging of using her ex-husbands card was one of the worst show off ploys I’ve ever heard….
@jimmyszeto She can try to wring her way into becoming Stanley Ho’s n-th wife. LOL!
@rika
Maybe that is her plan B now…
@hetieshou Which isn’t a bad deal considering that Stanley Ho already has half his leg in the grave and he isn’t physically able to do anything with her. At most, she just has to perform a “Sire Ma erotic dance” for him. LOL!
She bankrupt the poor guy on the wedding then divorced him. LOL
@jane626 hahaha….I know right? She obviously is the richer one and on that talk show the guy did say he spent alot of his savings for the wedding. haha lol….damn barely 2 years. Wow!
@wm2017
This really reminds me of my cousin who is high maintenance but her Ex husband was not well off. They spent a lot of their wedding and their marriage lasted only 14 months. Gillian’s marriage is so similar to my cousin’s. The only difference was that my cousin had a kid that she is raising as a single parent now.
@jane626
Exactly and from the beginning they did not seem compatible at all.
Chinese culture is generally about face. Face is what drives Chinese people to do what they do. This is why Gillian gave him money to open another clinic. It’s all about her saving face and hopefully getting some bragging rights that her husband is rich and successful.
@chena is it true love if you’re trying to “make” your husband be rich & successful? I mean you can argue it’s for their own benefit
@chena
Now I truly wonder if she did give him any money for anything at all. For her to not even want to contribute financially for their wedding (if it is true) really shows something. Also, asking for a ring that she knows he cannot afford and spending so much on his credit card truly shows something about her character.
@hetieshou
Usually it’s the man who is worried about being portrayed ‘soft rice’ king but I this case it was Gillian who was worried about the rumours so spent every bit of his money to prove a point. It shows that she is looking down on Michael for being a smaller earner and was using all her power to try to propel him into a top earning businessman. When that didn’t happen ‘within a year’, she probably felt frustrated that her husband did not make her and the public proud so gave up. Not everyone can be Ada Choi, Sonia Kwok. The thing is Michael is a successful professional in his own right. Money cannot always determine the level of success. There is just a lot more easy money in the entertainment circle…
@jimmyszeto
I agree and you made some good points! Success is not always measured by the amount of money you make. I feel that what you do is as important as the amount you make. For example, I have a cousin who works at a casino dealing cards and depends on tips to get a lot of extra income since the salary is fairly low. I have a friend who is a teacher and does not make a lot of money, but is teaching the future generations and doing something admirable even though she does not get much in terms of money. I think my friend who teaches is more successful even though she earns a lot less money.
Traditionally, people expect the guy to be the breadwinner but times are different now. However, sadly many are still stuck in the mentality that the guy has to always be the provider. It is true that not everyone can be like Ada and Sonjia and they are rare in this circle. Another is Taiwanese singer and actress Joyce Zhao who married for true love, not for looks or money( her husband is not good looking or rich but is a kind and talented man) so is blissfully and happily married now. Gillian is not clean cut herself so I do not know what she is trying to prove or protect. Her innocent and pure image was gone after the photo scandal already. I think this divorce is a blessing in disguise for both of them. They are clearly not compatible.
@hetieshou
Agree.Doctors for example of prestigious occupations that Chinese parents are proudly push their children in this direction of career. In reality most doctors just earn a salary. It’s above average but it’s nothing compared any small businessman, shop-owner etr
@jimmyszeto
Exactly! Your success is not just the monetary aspect of it all. What you do is even more important. Doctors do make a decent to even good income but it is nothing compared to businessmen.
@jimmyszeto Chinese parents want their children to do well in school and graduate from a good college. They’re even more proud when their children become doctors. I dont think people go to college to start their own business. Many entrepreneurs dont hold a college degree. Also, I dont think Chinese parents encourage their children to open a business.
@hetieshou success is measured by how happy you are in doing what you do.
@luye
Exactly and that is what I believe but yet many just think of money only and not care about whether they like what they do or not.
@hetieshou People who think of money only when looking at career options argue that they do not need to enjoy the job because they can use money to buy/do things they like outside of work.
Personally, i believe in the saying if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. However, some may also argue that it’s hard to actually “love” work because they do not love having to go to work everyday, no matter what the career is.
We spend most of our time & life at work, so I think it’s important to have a job we enjoy.
@jimmyszeto Is Gillian looking down on Michael or does she want the best for him? I believe there is a difference. Maybe she wants to push him to his fullest potential?
@luye
How would Gillian know what is best for Michael regarding his profession where she likely has zero expertise? What is best for her might not necessarily be good for him at all…
@jimmyszeto In a previous article posted, https://www.jaynestars.com/news/gillian-chung-was-unhappy-with-her-ex-husbands-flirtatious-behavior/
“Gillian has been supportive of his career & encouraged him to open his medical beauty clinic. She invested money & helped set up his medical beauty clinic. She wanted him to prosper, but he didn’t take it seriously.”
@luye
Honestly, just because that article says that means that it is the truth. That sounds strange to me because prior to meeting her, he already had a career and all so why would she need to give him money to start a medical beauty clinic? Plus, based on other things we have been reading if they are true, she did not even want to contribute to paying for their wedding and asks for a ring that is so expensive and he could not afford, but yet she still wanted it. Someone like that does not sound like someone who would give him money to start his own beauty clinic. But anyways, we should take any news we read with a grain of salt.
@jimmyszeto
I agree and Gillian knows nothing about his career and expertise. You truly wonder if she was just pushing him to make more money. He clearly already had a decent career before she came into his life so it is not like he was a loser with nothing.
@luye
What does she know about his profession? He already had a career before meeting her so it is not like he was a loser with nothing.
Gillian sounds so greedy I think the reason she wants to get married so she can received all the good worth it gift from her boss and now since she spends all her ex husband money of course she doesn’t wanted to be with him anymore that’s because she knows he’s all broke!! That’s right Gillian should’ve looked for a sugar daddy so she can spend all the money she wants then if they got into a divorce she can get half of his money just like that chick Catherine Ho who married a sugar daddy last time for a short term then she suddenly announced divorced? So she can get half of his money?
@cutie777
I agree and I find it sad that everyone is blaming Micheal. Gillian is clearly not an innocent angel. When you get married, you help each other financially, especially if you are the one with more money regardless if you are the woman or man. It is not the old days anymore where the guy has to pay for everything. Gillian just wanted to suck the guy dry and now that she has done so, she leaves him. She sounds like a gold digger but yet most are blaming him… sad…
@hetieshou Michael is definitely getting the shorter end of the stick IF he actually was faithful during their marriage. Idk if he cheated or not but if he didn’t then Gillian did him so wrong. She was spending his money without ever thinking that not everyone can earn money easy like her. Michael doesn’t come off as lazy in my opinion, he owns a clinic and stays fit which doesn’t scream lazy to me. Also, Michael did pay for their wedding in LA, it makes no sense in my opinion other then Gillian wanting to spend his money to actually host a wedding there. They both don’t have family there and had to fly out their family to LA for the wedding. The HK wedding was pay by Gillian’s boss so maybe Gillian just want to spend money for the heck of just spending.
@vlol
I have not heard anything about Micheal cheating at all. He is definitely getting the bad end of the stick. Many were blaming him without seeing her flaws. I agree and he does not seem lazy at all. I feel that Gillian’s friends are bad mouthing him to make it seem like he is a bad guy. She is clearly not an angel either. I also do not get why they held their wedding in LA. Gillian wants this and that but was not willing to put out a cent even though she has more money. Gillian makes money easily and lives the high life and with Micheal not having much money is a big red flag. I have a cousin like that and her marriage lasted around 14 months too. I see the same pattern here…
From what i got about this couple.
1. He is flirty & immature even after the marriage.
2. She wanted to get married, but wasn’t ready for it.
3. She is a big spender.
It’s a disaster recipe for a marriage period.
@dramas4me
It is not fair to just blame him as she herself sounds like a gold digger. She has sucked him into the poor house and now wants a divorce. Sad…
@hetieshou
You misunderstood me. I pointed out the flaws on both of them. I didn’t just blame him only. To me they don’t love each other enough to commit to this marriage.
@dramas4me
Oh sorry but I must say that many are blaming him for their divorce. It takes 2 to tango. They had many red flags which they should have worked on before marriage. But they went ahead and got married anyways which resulted in this. The wedding is the easy part and the marriage is the hard part. A successful marriage takes much more than just love. However, love is one of the most important factors to have and one of the foundations to build on. For example, just their spending habits and views on money is already a big red flag. He seems more thrifty while she just buys anything she wants regardless of price. Just that alone is a recipe for disaster. But they have many more problems so they definitely cannot have a lasting and blissful marriage.
@dramas4me I think you summed it up pretty well. It was just a marriage that wouldnt have worked. Better that it ends sooner than later.
I think people need to take a step back and look at this whole situation from the beginning. She already knew he didn’t make as much as her, so that is NOT the problem. She admitted she thought marrying him was a mistake. I don’t doubt she loved him, but I think she married for the wrong reasons or no reason at all. If he was a self-loving man and can feel she wasn’t putting in enough effort, he had the choice to walk away too right? The divorce was going to happen sooner or later, but it just burns when one party decides to cut it out of the blue suddenly when both parties had a mutual “unspoken” agreement of: “let’s just see where this goes.” There’s no victim. He’s a little too basic if partying is his only hobby and she’s a little too high maintenance if her only hobby is shopping. I once dated a guy who was loyal and willing to buy me female products, but his only 2 hobbies were drinking and partying. The only thing we really bonded over is going out to eat and even then, we liked total different things. I ended it at 3 months because he failed to show up when I needed emotional support when he was out partying–which he felt guilty about but thought I was judging him when all I wanted was him to be more considerate. Communication, compatibility, compromise, collaboration, and consistent effort is needed from both sides to make things work. Michael flew in more for her than she did for him, so it’s a dead give away he loved her more. Feelings are never 50/50, but effort is. I can’t help Gillian and I won’t just because this guy was and still is a party boy. This is his second divorce in 3 years; I would learn how to be alone for a while if I were him. I actually think he is a happier person than Gillian because he’s more simple or basic or whatever you wanna call it. You have to find your equal and I don’t mean equal income, I mean equal growth and commitment mindset.
@jesspepperwang agreed. a lot of people on this site are trying to take sides whether it’s to bolster Gillian or Michael. but IMO they’re both to blame. lifestyle differences doesn’t make one or the other evil just because of their spending habits. it’s a compatibility difference. if their goals/vision/values are the same, then everything else can be compromised, but it’s dependent on what those values are and whether they’re willing to negotiate.
no couple can be 100% compatible. that’s just not possible. people will always have disagreements or there will be lifestyle adjustments between both parties. the question isn’t whether you love them, but whether you can love them with all their issues. in the case of Gillian and Michael, they (or well, she, in this case) can’t.
@jesspepperwang
Actually I do not really agree about the money issue as that is one of things that drove them apart. It is true that she knew he made less, but yet she seemed to still expect him to pay for everything. It is not the old days anymore as women now make their own money and need to help out financially too.
They both had their faults and are clearly not compatible and should not have married in the first place. However, Gillian gets the edge as a celebrity with her connections and company since they can easily paint a good image
of her while tarnishing Micheal’s reputation easily which seems to be what they are doing. However, it seems like Micheal’s friends are shooting back and trying to jump to his defense. At the end of the day, none of us truly knows for sure all of the details and the whole truth. But, it truly seems like they are clearly not compatible, do not share the goals and married for the wrong reasons. I honestly feel this divorce is a blessing in disguise for both of them. Thank goodness they did not have kids or else it would have been an even bigger mess.
Shes a big spender but you cant blame her for it since shes been successful in the entertainment circle since very young. She probably doesnt have much of a concept of whats normal or what is too expensive.
He just bit of more than he could chew. Lesson learned for wooing wife number 3.
1) They are BOTH immature
2) She struck me as wanting to get married, for the sake of getting married – don’t know what she was trying to prove.
3) After dating her Korean media-mogul ABC Tyler Chew (who played in different circles – Tyler dated SNSD’s Jessica next) for like less than a year and after Edison. She was learning Korean and thinking about marriage.
Hullo girl? maybe you were a play thing, esp AFTER Edison. Edison).
(4) She was also probably all starry eyed flattered that a Korean was dating her, and she got to see their show biz crowd.
(Feather in her cap, since both HK, China and Taiwan like to emulate the Kcrowd and scene so much)
(5) This dude, a mere doctor must seem very boring in comparison
(6) She sounds materialistic (not just because of spending habits – hullo Jacqueline Wong?) but also because she was interested in ‘boosting’ his career to higher bigger commercial levels.
Couldn’t she just let him be?
@nomad822 lol can you believe Gillian’s friends accuse Michael of being lazy and unmotivated that Gillian just want to push him to his fullest potential?! It sounds more like she wants to built him to save her face and bragging rights. I didn’t know that being a doctor is such a inferior occupation lol.
If Gillian is afraid of people calling Michael soft rice king, she doesn’t have to swipe away his credit card, just stop buying him gifts then. The fact that she makes easy money compared to Michael and still has to use his money just for face is appalling. Shows she has zero sympathy. The more news I read the more I’m angered by this whole divorce of hers. Both parties are at fault but the fact that she left this guy, sucked him dry, now EEG is harrassing him with phone calls and painting him a picture is mindblowing. I agree with comments that it’s bad luck this guy married her. Kinda sucks how in her late 30s and still hasn’t gotten her life figured out. I hope her next checklist/validation wouldn’t be to get pregnant and be a mother