Linda Chung did not take leave even though her skin was ‘splitting open’ from viral infection

Hong Kong — It did not take long for Hong Kong-Canadian actress Linda Chung to achieve success in her showbiz career. Two years after winning the Miss Chinese International Pageant 2004 and joining TVB, Chung made enough money to buy her own 56 sqm unit in the Tseung Kwan O district. The star then splurged HK$5.5million (S$943,500) in 2011 on a 93 sqm place in Metro City.

It is reported that Chung owns a total of four properties in Hong Kong and Canada with an estimated combined market value of over HK$36million (S$6.2million). You may envy her achievements now, but it turns out that the mother-of-two went through a lot during the early years of her career, as reported by 8days.sg. Speaking on sHong Kong actor Steven Ma’s talk show Coffee, You and Me, the 36-year-old shared that she was under a lot of pressure back then.

Her health deteriorated due to stress and a lack of rest while she was filming the dramas A Journey Called Life and Heart of Greed at the same time in 2007. Chung also had rubella or German measles, a viral infection that caused her to have rashes all over her body, except for her face. The actress shared that it was so bad that when she removed her clothes to show her condition to her friend Tavia Yeung, the latter “immediately burst into tears”.

Chung did not take time off and kept working despite her condition. “I was cheap and able to endure it, so there were many opportunities for me, plus I just couldn’t say no,” she said.

Ma, who also starred in A Journey Called Life, knows firsthand just how much Chung suffered. “It was so serious that she had blisters all over, and her skin was splitting open. But she still continued to film while her skin was peeling right in front of me.” He remembered telling Chung to rest but she cried and refused to give up. Ma said that he was furious and thought that she was “really stupid”.

“I told the director that I was uncomfortable and didn’t want to continue shooting,” said the 49-year-old. “I pulled her off the set to rest for a bit, and she was finally willing to go see a doctor. I even helped her to find a doctor.”

This is not the first time that a celebrity has been too gung-ho at work. Charmaine Sheh revealed that she was “close to dying” after going five days without sleep while filming a drama. Tony Leung was once so overworked that the crew thought he had passed out when they spotted him sleeping on a bench between takes. Taiwanese singer Tarcy Su’s face became partially paralysed due to an overwhelming work schedule. /TISG