News from The New Paper

It'd nice to find a fellow Chinese, says Jessica Hsuan
By Tan Kee Yun

No, that's not my boyfriend.

Popular Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan was quick to dismiss speculation that she is dating burly African-American expat Reggie Martin.

“He’s just an ordinary friend. Those are just rumours – exaggerations,” said the 42-year-old leading lady of the small screen in an interview with The New Paper last Friday. She was in town to promote new period drama Love Amongst War alongside Benny Chan.

She was spotted with Mr Martin, 40, a senior manager at The Venetian Macao hotel and casino, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong last month.

At one point, the Chicago native – who boasts a hulking frame – had his arm around Hsuan’s waist as she snapped away with her camera.

The pair reportedly checked into a hotel, leaving about three hours later.

When the news first broke, it left many wondering if Hsuan’s taste in men had changed again.

She has had three failed relationships, including one with Hong Kong actor-singer Dicky Cheung and another with South African veterinarian Ruan Bester.

She has been single since she split up with Mr Bester in 2011.

Hsuan explained good-naturedly: “Over the years, I have become an expert at fending off the paparazzi, so what really happened was that I had managed to disappear from their sight...I didn’t check into a hotel as it has been reported.

“Personally, I do not mind such untrue reports, I’m already used to them.

“But I do feel rather sorry for my friends, who get pulled unwittingly into the limelight.”

Mr Martin, who’s also vice-chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Macau, was once rumoured to have dated pixie-faced Hong Kong singer-actress Fiona Sit, 31.

While she has always struck audiences as the Westernised, liberal, high-flying type, Hsuan – who’s never been married – shared that deep inside, she’s “actually quite traditional”.

“I only discovered this side of myself after having had a relationship with a Caucasian (referring to Bester).

“So, even though I’m open to having male friends of all nationalities, it’d be nice to find a fellow Chinese.”

Grinning, she added: “He’d be able to communicate better with my parents too.”

This article was first published in The New Paper on Jan 21, 2013.



Popular Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan was quick to dismiss speculation that she is dating burly African-American expat Reggie Martin. -- PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM