Hong kong actress Rosamund Kwan was married after all, and has actually divorced Taiwanese billionaire Pierre Chen.

Kwan (關之琳) made the shocking admission in Taipei on Wednesday at a promotional event for one of her beauty products, as she was confronted with questions from local media about persistent talk that her eight-year old relationship with Chen (Chen Tai-Ming 陳泰銘) was on the verge of collapsing.

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One recent rumor had it that Kwan and Chen, chairman of Taiwan-based electronics company Yageo, had broken up, and the 53-year old retired actress was seen moving out of Chen's Hong kong mansion.

"We actually did not break up, we're divorced," Kwan announced.

The admission of a divorce, if a bit anticipated, nevertheless came as a surprise given that Kwan and Chen never publicly acknowledged their marriage.

Speculations were rife in April that the two had tied the knot abroad, replete with a wedding ceremony and a lavish reception in Paris, although the proceedings, if at all true, were kept from the general public.

Chen, a well-known art collector, was noticeably absent from Kwan's Taiwan promo event on Wednesday, whereas he had dutifully attended public functions involving her business ventures in the past.

Rumors of a split were further fueled by recently published pictures showing Chen hiking with actress Carina Lau, who promptly denied any romantic links with the billionaire, saying she would hike along with anyone who is a fellow enthusiast for the sport.

Lau on Thursday said she did not know of a marriage between Chen and Kwan.

"I'm in a good mood, I've let go," Kwan said of her split with Chen.

Kwan's friends who are privy to her life with Chen, however, say it's the secrecy surrounding their relationship that eventually drove the wedge between the two.

Chen, 59, had been discreet about his relationship with Kwan, careful about not making any public admission lest it upsets his children from a previous marriage. Kwan, on the other hand, did not want to be kept a secret, sources told the Apple Daily.

Experts have often maintained that healthy relationships are invariably anchored on an environment of openness, where couples can freely show their closeness and share their common journey with a community. 

Rosamund Kwan, well-loved for her role as the 13th aunt in the "Once Upon a Time in China" film series, apparently missed such a chance at openness about her relationship with Pierre Chen.

TagsRosamund Kwan 關之琳, Once Upon a Time in China, Pierre Chen, Chen Tai-Ming 陳泰銘, Yageo, Taiwan, Carina Lau