Ex-Mr Hong Kong winner Benjamin Yuen reacts to being called 'ugly'

Benjamin Yuen and wife Bowie Cheung at the recent TVB Anniversary Awards red carpet. Photos: Benjamin Yuen/Instagram

Mr Hong Kong 2007 winner-turned-TVB actor Benjamin Yuen has spoken out about being called "ugly".

The unpleasant comments came from netizens in response to red carpet photos of him at the recent TVB Anniversary Awards.

“My physical condition can sometimes be good or bad. I spend hours filming every day and I don’t eat well because I don’t look good on camera if I am fat. It’s really not easy," he offered his perspective in an Instagram post (translation by 8 Days).

"I only had half a day off to prepare for the awards ceremony. I was tired but I didn’t want to waste the few hours, so I went to work out. The results were not ideal, but I can’t help it."

The 39-year-old addressed his naysayers cooly: "Though you think I am out of shape after marriage and even call me an ugly man, thank you for all your comments and creating a topic about me to de-stress.”

Yuen is no stranger to being the recipient of harsh insults. When he tied the knot with former Miss Hong Kong 2016 contestant Bowie Cheung, who reportedly comes from a wealthy family, last November, netizens saw his decision as "marrying into money".

The actor, who has won TVB's Best Actor award twice, chooses to rise above it all: “Please continue to criticise me, continue to say that I live off my wife, continue to call me a gigolo, continue to say that my acting sucks, your criticism will only motivate me further!”