Chinese actor Max Zhang, the husband of renowned Hong Kong actress Ada Choi, has opened up about a chilling near-death experience he faced earlier this April.
Speaking on a recent episode of the 2025 reality show Call Me By Fire, the 51-year-old revealed that he was on a family vacation overseas on April 17 when he suffered a heart attack.
As Choi, 51, queued for a boat tour about 10m away, Zhang was suddenly struck by severe chest pain, struggled to breathe and broke out in cold sweat.
“I couldn’t speak. It was as if I had plunged into an endless abyss, falling with nothing to grasp onto,” he said.
Despite the pain, the Ip Man 3 (2015) star forced himself to endure, driven by a deep sense of duty toward his wife and their three children – Zoe, 14; Chloe, 11; and Joey, six.
“I told myself I couldn’t die there. Ada is taking care of our three kids. If I were to die, what would happen to her?”
It was only after returning to Hong Kong that Zhang finally sought medical attention.
A doctor told him his condition was critical, warning that any delay would be fatal. Zhang subsequently underwent an emergency coronary stent procedure.
Zhang and Choi tied the knot in 2008 after over four years of dating. The couple previously collaborated on projects such as The Legend Of Magic Mirror (2003) and Eight Charts (2005).
In a separate interview on the show, Zhang described the April scare as “the first time I felt so close to death”.
He added that the experience has since reminded him to put his family above all else.
