Former TVB Actress Shek Tin-yan Reveals Divorce After 8 Years in the US, Opens Up About Depression

Former TVB actress Shek Tin-yan (石天欣), 34, revealed in a long social media post on October 15 that she is divorced, and spoke in detail for the first time about years of living with mental-health conditions, according to HK01 and on.cc. It was her first long post in about three years.

## From TVB to the US

A graduate of TVB's 24th artiste training class, Shek left the broadcaster in 2014. Reports say she married her non-celebrity boyfriend of four years in 2016 and moved to the US with him, gradually stepping back from the screen and occasionally sharing her life on her own video channel.

She also looked back on her early days: in her first year out of the training class she earned HK$6,000 a month and still gave HK$4,000 to her mother. To save money she ate heartily whenever a scene involved a meal, joking that she was "an actress who likes eating the props."

## A divorce handled quietly while caring for her mother

During the pandemic, reports say, she rushed back to Hong Kong when her mother fell ill. She said she broke down every day during 30 days of hotel quarantine but still video-called her mother as if nothing were wrong, and is grateful she came back and had two final years with her.

While caring for her mother, she also quietly completed the divorce. She wrote that her mother didn't know, and neither did most people, because she didn't want her elders to worry about her being on her own. She said she is making it public now because her former husband will start a new family, and joked that someone could update her online encyclopedia entry to say "single again."

## "Don't tell people to just stop thinking about it"

Known for a sunny public image, Shek wrote that her mind is often full of negative thoughts. According to the reports, she said she was diagnosed with autism in kindergarten and later developed OCD, anxiety and depression. She first experienced mild depression at 16, with sudden hair and weight loss, and coped by throwing herself into work. After moving to the US the depression returned more severely, and she didn't tell anyone because she didn't want them to worry.

She urged people not to tell those with depression or anxiety to "just stop thinking about it" or that they're "overthinking," because it involves brain chemistry or genetics that people can't simply control. on.cc said that by speaking openly she hopes the public will show people with mental-health conditions more understanding and support.

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**Need support?** If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. Hong Kong: Mental Health Support Hotline 18111 (government, 24h), The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong 2389 2222 (24h, Cantonese); Mainland China: national psychological assistance hotline 12356; Taiwan: 1925; US: call or text 988. In an emergency, call your local emergency number (999 in Hong Kong).

*This article only summarises the outlets' reports of Shek's own social media post; details of her divorce and health are her own account.*