Sharon Chan Puts Suffering Behind Her
Sharon Chan’s (陳敏之) career finally stabilized after winning the Best Supporting Actress award in 2011 for her role as a prostitute in Ghetto Justice <怒火街頭>. Supporting her entire family after her father’s death, Sharon once thought of suicide. After a decade of battling in the industry and dealing with personal problems, Sharon finally let out a breath of relief. “Right now, this is the most comfortable time period.”
Negative Turning Point: Father’s Death
While most teenagers are out with their friends and choose to spend their allowances, Sharon did the exact opposite. She found her first advertising job at the age of 14 and gave most of her earnings to her mom and saved the rest. From a young age, Sharon learned how hard it was to earn money.
Sharon’s parents unconditionally supported her and her younger brother. The death of Sharon’s father in 2003 ultimately brought upon her breakdown.
“He was working when he suddenly felt cramps and fainted on the ground. Originally, we thought it was a stroke and sent him to the hospital immediately. After a thorough examination, we found out it was a terminal case of lung cancer and the cancerous cells have spread to the brain,” Sharon recalled.
After work, Sharon would head straight to the hospital and spend the night beside her father’s bed. During those times, Sharon would listen intently to the sobbing of family members of other patients. Seeing bodies being moved out every day, Sharon could not help but to cry and think about her own father’s fate.
The dreadful day came when her dad finally took his last breath. Before he shut his eyes, Sharon promised that she would take care of her family. Despite displaying a strong demeanor, Sharon suffered a loss in appetite and her weight plunged to 90 pounds. Missing her father terribly and finding faults that she was not filial enough during his life, Sharon suffered from depression and almost attempted suicide.
Strength From Loved Ones
It was Sharon’s love for her family and the help of her friends that eventually helped her pull out of her depression. Possessing a wide social network, Sharon has always been fortunate in having others help her during difficult transitions.
Sharon’s boyfriend of eight years, William Lui (雷偉信), is someone that she can trust will take good care of her. She is thankful for his support, especially when she injured her collarbone during the filming of Ghetto Justice and suffered extreme discomfort. “I’m really happy whenever I’m with him. It doesn’t matter if your significant other makes a lot of money as long as both of you have mutual understanding and the same vision. For example, if we want to get food, we’ll immediately go eat. Nothing is more important than being happy at the moment.”
William is the owner of a lighting business and is financially established. Although the couple jointly purchased a $4.97 million HKD condo apartment in 2010 in Clearwater Bay, they decided that marriage can wait.
It has been twelve years since Sharon first started out as a minor in this industry, from starring in small commercials to leading in Bounty Lady <My盛Lady> opposite Dayo Wong (黃子華). Besides her hard work, Sharon wanted to thank God for His guidance all along. Now that her acting career is stable, Sharon disclosed that her wish is to release an album to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer.
Source: Ming Pao Weekly via kuangaitvb.com
This article is written by Su for JayneStars.com.
Support sharon! She worked hard to get to where she is today!
i actually like her, she’s pretty. i hope for her striving success in her career.
Keep up the brill acting! Hope your dream will come true one day, then I’ll be the first to buy your album! 🙂
I like Sharon… would like to see more of her.
I also like Sharon’s acting and singing (:
Looking forward to Midas! =)
please dont use suicide as sympathy to be more popular. If its true why reveal something so private. Obviously a publicity stunt. Really Bad influence for others.
She’s not using it to gain sympathy. She’s sharing her personal story..
…right….
Sharon may not look like she’s suicidal at the moment. A person can be happy, but we aren’t that person. Sometimes, people can pull a smile on their face even when they feel like crap. You can’t base depression, suicidal on just outside looks.. ;$ Just how people can be jealous of one another. But you’re not them.. You and I have no idea what goes on behind the “closed doors”. I do believe that her father’s death had some effect on her. She’s sharing that story to encourage other people who may be doing the same or to inspire others who look up to her.
Many other people (not just celebrities) share their tough times and is that a publicity stunt to get sympathy? No.
I think the important part is ‘she suffered from depression’ and almost attempted suicide. Depression is a serious illness and people like you tend to underestimate its effect on sufferers’ decision making abilities and capacity to enjoy their lives. Your negative attitude toward people who obviously need support and professional help is a REALLY BAD INFLUENCE.
By undermining the seriousness of her illness and calling it a publicity stunt, you are perpetuating the widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes, and prejudice against individuals who suffer from mental illness.
Well said Mt! People who do not suffer from depression will not understand how it feels to be depressed.
Exactly, well put. People who hasn’t been through depression will never understand how dangerous and how dark it can be. I have gone through it and took me three years to get out of the black hole after my dad’s death. Though i haven’t completely made it out but still trying my best to think on the bright side. It is very difficult – and I am glad Sharon is doing great. Kudos to her for not giving up her life.
Lawls,
Dealing with depression is a daily battle. I hope you continue to find joy and inspiration around you. Connecting with people who can provide a positive outlook on a frequent basis means a lot. Hope you continue to get better each day!
sharon consider one of the pretty actresses in TVB with her unique look and hot body…she will be leading actress soon as she got the quality of attractions
does she even look suicidal before, NO. Don’t easily believe everything ppl say, esp. those in the e biz, most are really slick.
People like you should never be allowed around people who are depressed or suicidal. What are you, an expert at ‘persona of suicidal people’? There are many accounts of close friends and family members of people who committed suicide, and they have said things like ‘never saw it coming’, ‘couldn’t tell, he/she seemed normal’, etc. Who are YOU to judge whether or not she looked suicidal?
Comment on her acting if you wish, but leave out your stupid, snarky comments about her suicidal thoughts. It takes strength to admit you were that weak and that vulnerable to be close to ending your life. Suicide is a stigma, particularly to the Chinese since that is akin to disrespect and being unfilial to your parents who gave you life. Comments like yours make others, especially those in entertainment, unwilling to speak up and seek help for fear of backlash.
there is no specific look for suicidal. Someone can look entirely normal and happy on the outside while being depressed on the inside.
but do feel sad for her fathers death. suicide is the last thing on her mind since she promise her dad to take care of family. So that would make absolutely no sense if she loves her dad, she would keep the promise…She always have a stiff look and no expressions on her face. I hope she can take some acting class to brush up.
Haven’t heard her singing but she’s an average actress. However, it’s admirable of her to take over the financial responsibility from her late father.
Did you watch bounty lady? She sang the sub theme song.
Support Sharon!! Can’t wait for her dream to come true!
<3<3<3
Everyone goes through ups and downs in their lives,but of course some have it better than others. Great that Sharon pulled through the bad times and can make her family and her late father proud of her. Best wishes to her!