Singer Coco Lee hints at major surgery, says she has to learn to walk again

Coco Lee shared that she was born with a defect in her left leg and had a failed surgery to try to correct it when she was two years old Photo: Coco Lee/Instagram

Hong Kong-born singer Coco Lee, who sparked concerns over her health in recent months, has hinted that she is going for major surgery.

In a lengthy post in Chinese on Weibo on Thursday, the 48-year-old wrote: “Today, I’m going to face the biggest challenge of my life, and also my greatest fear.”

She shared that she was born with a defect in her left leg and had a failed surgery to try to correct it when she was two years old. The botched surgery, painful recovery and learning how to walk again left deep scars on her mentally, and she learnt to hide her pain.

The singer, who was a huge hit in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other parts of Asia in the 1990s, also revealed that in her 30-year career, she relied heavily on her right leg to support herself while singing and dancing on stage.

“After every rehearsal or performance, my foot would be in extreme pain, but I did not let anyone see this side of me,” she said, adding that it was a miracle that she could dance as doctors from her childhood had said it was impossible.

During a rehearsal in October, she danced too vigorously and injured her left foot. She shared a photo of her foot in bandages earlier this month and wrote about her concerns over not being able to dance again.

She also sparked health concerns in January, when she posted a photo of her weighing 42.3kg and another of what looked like a drainage bag on her body, though she did not elaborate then on whether she had undergone surgery.

“I have endured the pain for many years, but I’m now unable to lead a normal life,” she wrote, saying she had no choice but to have an operation.

“I will learn to walk again and I hope everyone will accompany me on this arduous journey,” said Lee, who had also been plagued with rumours that her 12-year marriage to Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz, 64, was on the rocks.

In a post for her latest song Tragic, released on Valentine’s Day, she had written: “Leaving is the best solution. It’s too late for ‘I love you’s.”

Despite her recent woes, her latest update ended on an upbeat note, with her saying: “I am the Great Wall of China and I will not fall.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network