Singer and Wife Divorcing After 14-Year Marriage

Singer Gary Chaw and his wife, fashion blogger Wu Shu-ling, announced their divorce on Instagram late last month. The former couple was married for 14 years and are also parents to two children: a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. Their announcement came weeks after Chaw’s recent comments about their relationship led to speculation they were separating.

“On our journey together, there have been many beautiful memories. In the second half of our marriage, we were frequently unable to understand each other, which led to much soul-searching,” Chaw and Wu, both 43, wrote in a since-expired Instagram Story post, reports The Star. “No one is right or wrong. We worked hard together in this marriage and the 14 years in each other’s life cannot be erased.” The former couple added that they will work together to take care of their children and insisted the split was amicable.

The statement came after weeks of speculation that Chaw and Wu were planning to separate. In October, Chaw referenced marriage troubles during a press conference before a concert in Malaysia. He also shared cryptic messages on social media.

Chaw appeared to ask fans what he should do in an Oct. 30 Facebook post. “Help, love. I love Shu-ling, but she is hurt by the love. What should we do? Leave? Do I leave? Or she leaves? She can choose to leave, but I still love her very much,” he wrote. That same day, he shared a photo of himself kissing Wu on Instagram. “I’m leaving not because I don’t love you. I leave because I love you too much,” he captioned that post.

The singer also shared other messages that may have referenced the troubles at home. “Muddy water will clear just by leaving it alone,” Chaw wrote in English on Nov. 18. “The word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness,” he wrote on Nov. 24.

Chaw was born in Kota Belud, Malaysia, and has scored hits in Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He has won several awards and appeared on Chinese singing shows, including the Chinese version of The Masked Singer in 2015. Chaw has also made headlines for opening up about his bipolar disorder. He has also spoken about the need for increased awareness of mental health issues, especially in Asia.

“There needs to be more effort to increase awareness about mental illness. It is becoming an epidemic around the world, especially for children,” Chaw recently told The Star. “Globally, the suicide rate has gone up. Basically, it comes from mental illness. A lot of people are depressed, [and] they need help. See, the problem in Asia is, if you do something like this (open up about mental health), you’ll lose your job. Mental illness is taboo in Asia; people don’t believe in that. So, with my situation, since I’ve been through it, I want to share it publicly so that I can help others.”