Knowledge | Posted by Shwe Zin Win
Some celebrities had difficult lives before finding fame.
According to media reports, former Hong Kong actor Kenny Ho addressed in a recent livestream rumours of him having been an illegal worker who carried corpses when he lived in the UK in the past.
The 63-year-old businessman shared that after he graduated from secondary school, he was emotionally affected when his grandmother died, so he left Hong Kong to seek support from his then-future brother-in-law in the UK.
He said: "Regarding my studies in the UK, I didn't even have enough for school fees. Every day, I went to Chinatown and did illegal part-time work.
"There are online rumours of me having carried corpses - it was when I worked in the hospital. But when I counted all the income earned over the summer, it wasn't even enough to cover my school fees. So, I left.
Even if this place was not for me, there were other places I could go to."
He is most well-known for his role as imperial guard Zhan Zhao in the 236-episode Taiwanese drama series Justice Pao in 1993.
Kenny has faded from showbiz for decades. In 2011, he reportedly invested HK$30 million (S$5.25 million) to start Jing Jia Zhuang Foods in Huicheng, Guangdong, and has been based in China since then.
Nowadays, he occasionally does livestreams to sell and market his company's products.
In July this year, Kenny made the news for posting a video to express his joy of receiving the elderly transport concession pass JoyYou card, while netizens were quick to question if he needed it as a wealthy man.
He responded then: "This is what the government gives us, we paid taxes in the past, so this is our well-deserved benefit."
Former Hongkong actor Kenny Ho, best known for his role as Zhan Zhao in 1993 long-running drama Justice Bao, has been called a cheap boss by netizens after a job ad from his health food company went viral.
In 2013, the 61-year-old reportedly invested 100mil yuan (S$21mil) into health food supplier Jin Jia Zhuang , which is based in Guizhou.
(Jin Jia Zhuang's hiring notice)
Recently, Jin Jia Zhuang’s factory shared a hiring ad for quality control officers and researchers aged between 18 and 50.
Both men and women are encouraged to apply and there are no academic qualifications required.
The only condition is that applicants are “healthy in heart and mind, prudent workers and will act according to their leaders’ instructions”.
Successful applicants will be paid between 3,500 yuan (S$735) and 5,500 yuan (S$1150) a month, and will be offered complimentary food and lodging on top of their salary.
Chinese netizens have turned their noses up at the ad, saying that the pay is too low and calling Kenny a scrooge whose “heart has been corrupted by greed”.
However, there have been some locals who have defended Kenny and told these naysayers off. They explained that most factories in the area only pay their workers 2,000 yuan (S$420) a month and that Jin Jia Zhuang’s employee benefit package is actually pretty attractive.
Ref: 'It was when I worked in the hospital': Kenny Ho admits he carried corpses as illegal worker in UK before finding fame (asiaone)