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Chen Zihan, 47, admitted that their marriage had been on the rocks, with husband Dai Xiangyu bringing up divorce.
PHOTO: Weibo
PUBLISHED ON September 21, 2025 1:35 PM BY Candice Cai
Dai Xiangyu has been married to Chinese actress Chen Zihan for close to 10 years, and to many, the pair appeared perfectly content to build a life together without kids.
On a recent programme however, Zihan, 47, revealed that the couple had tried unsuccessfully to have children with the help of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
She had even stopped working for from 2022 to 2025, undergoing 12 cycles of the fertility treatment.
Her admission appeared to shock the other female guests on the show, including actresses Joe Chen, Zhou Qiqi and singer Xu Yiyang, who appeared too stunned to speak.
A hashtag to the 57-second trailer for the programme, Our Love Song, which was published on Saturday (Sept 20), quickly scaled the trending charts on Weibo.
"For [the baby], I really didn't act for three years. We did about 12 test tube treatments, with daily injections," said Zihan.
"It was very pitiful," she added, revealing that she and Xiangyu regularly wept in each other's arms on the streets.
"I'd always thought you both just didn't want kids," said Qiqi.
"No, no, no," Zihan responded.
Zihan, also pooh-poohed the notion that both she and Xiangyu were eager to have children.
"No, it's just me. I absolutely love kids, and I believe children are an important part of one's life journey," she said.
Ex-Mediacorp actor Xiangyu, 40, had married Zihan in 2016, with the spotlight on their May-December romance.
The pair were among other celebrity couples on Our Love Song, which pits couples against each other in challenges and also features the guests' love stories.
Xiangyu had previously stated that Zihan is the 'braver person' in the relationship when it came to the question of having children.
"I am not a brave person, and not brave enough to have a child. My wife is more courageous, but this is not something that can just 'happen' even if she is brave," he'd said during a 2023 interview.
When contacted by Lianhe Zaobao, Xiangyu declined to comment on Zihan's comments made on the show but shared that both he and his wife were in good spirits.
As to whether they would continue to try for a child, he responded that he would "leave it up to fate".
"He'd mentioned it to his family that we may divorce, but I knew nothing about it," shared Zihan to the other women on the show.
The reason was because they had been apart for too long and led separate lives, she explained.
Describing Xiangyu as someone who "really doesn't like to talk", Zihan was also unaware of the personal turmoil that her husband was going through.
"I told him that to me, a broken TV set needs repairing, and shouldn't just be thrown away," said Zihan, elaborating on the isolation that both parties were feeling.
In the end, the pair chose to try again, working through their problems instead of throwing themselves into work to avoid them.
entertainment
Dai Xiangyu's wife Chen Zihan says she underwent 12 IVF cycles to try for baby, reveals he'd brought up divorce
Chen Zihan, 47, admitted that their marriage had been on the rocks, with husband Dai Xiangyu bringing up divorce.
PHOTO: Weibo
PUBLISHED ON September 21, 2025 1:35 PM BY Candice Cai
Dai Xiangyu has been married to Chinese actress Chen Zihan for close to 10 years, and to many, the pair appeared perfectly content to build a life together without kids.
On a recent programme however, Zihan, 47, revealed that the couple had tried unsuccessfully to have children with the help of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
She had even stopped working for from 2022 to 2025, undergoing 12 cycles of the fertility treatment.
Her admission appeared to shock the other female guests on the show, including actresses Joe Chen, Zhou Qiqi and singer Xu Yiyang, who appeared too stunned to speak.
A hashtag to the 57-second trailer for the programme, Our Love Song, which was published on Saturday (Sept 20), quickly scaled the trending charts on Weibo.
"For [the baby], I really didn't act for three years. We did about 12 test tube treatments, with daily injections," said Zihan.
"It was very pitiful," she added, revealing that she and Xiangyu regularly wept in each other's arms on the streets.
"I'd always thought you both just didn't want kids," said Qiqi.
"No, no, no," Zihan responded.
Zihan, also pooh-poohed the notion that both she and Xiangyu were eager to have children.
"No, it's just me. I absolutely love kids, and I believe children are an important part of one's life journey," she said.
Ex-Mediacorp actor Xiangyu, 40, had married Zihan in 2016, with the spotlight on their May-December romance.
The pair were among other celebrity couples on Our Love Song, which pits couples against each other in challenges and also features the guests' love stories.
Xiangyu had previously stated that Zihan is the 'braver person' in the relationship when it came to the question of having children.
"I am not a brave person, and not brave enough to have a child. My wife is more courageous, but this is not something that can just 'happen' even if she is brave," he'd said during a 2023 interview.
When contacted by Lianhe Zaobao, Xiangyu declined to comment on Zihan's comments made on the show but shared that both he and his wife were in good spirits.
As to whether they would continue to try for a child, he responded that he would "leave it up to fate".
Couple once on the brink of divorce
In another shocking admission, Zihan also stated the pair's marriage had once been on the rocks, with Xiangyu bringing up the topic of divorce to her only after sharing his intention with his family."He'd mentioned it to his family that we may divorce, but I knew nothing about it," shared Zihan to the other women on the show.
The reason was because they had been apart for too long and led separate lives, she explained.
Describing Xiangyu as someone who "really doesn't like to talk", Zihan was also unaware of the personal turmoil that her husband was going through.
"I told him that to me, a broken TV set needs repairing, and shouldn't just be thrown away," said Zihan, elaborating on the isolation that both parties were feeling.
In the end, the pair chose to try again, working through their problems instead of throwing themselves into work to avoid them.
