KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — Oscar-winning actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh has shared that not being able to have children remains the “biggest sadness” of her life, though she has no regrets.
Speaking to The Times, the 62-year-old Malaysian star opened up about her first marriage to Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon and her journey of coming to terms with infertility.
Yeoh, who married Poon in 1988, said she chose to step away from her flourishing career at the time, known for her roles in Hong Kong action films and daring stunts.
“It was my choice. I felt that if I wanted this to work, I had to give it my all. I’d had a good career, a good run of what I was doing,” she told the publication.
In her late 20s at the time, Yeoh said she was ready to start a family.
However, she later discovered that she was unable to have children, a realisation she described as deeply painful.
“Maybe that is the biggest sadness in my life, that I cannot have kids,” Yeoh said.
“But the beauty is that I have six godchildren, many nephews and nieces.”
Despite the heartbreak, Yeoh said she does not live with regrets, reflecting on the efforts she made to build a family life with Poon.
“I have always given it my 110 per cent. I did everything to make it work, and sometimes even that is not enough,” she said.
“You have to learn to let go, and sometimes letting go helps you move forward.”
The couple divorced in 1991 after Yeoh recognised Poon’s desire for children.
“I didn’t want for us to be bitter 10 years down the road,” she explained.
She remains close to Poon’s family and is the godmother to his eldest daughter.
The Everything Everywhere All at Once star also reflected on the cultural expectations surrounding family and legacy in Asian societies.
“In Asian families, children are seen as an extension and legacy of the family,” she said. “And when you realise [that you can’t have kids], you have to deal with it.”
Yeoh, who married former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt last year, recently embraced a new chapter as a grandmother.
In January, she celebrated the birth of her stepson’s child, writing on Instagram: “Thank you darling Nicolas and Darina for making us the happiest and proudest grandparents! Welcome baby Maxime.”
