Hongkong actress Charmaine Sheh, who has been enjoying a resurgence in her career since starring in Story of Yanxi Palace last year, recently gave an interview where she talked about aging in showbusiness. “I believe that everyone has a different kind of appeal at different phases of their life,” the 44-year-old said. “You don’t have to be worried about growing old, instead you should be worried if you have enough time for yourself.”

And there’s a reason the star thinks this way.

Turns out, her dad died in a car accident when she was only five and because of that, she said she didn’t have a happy childhood. “My dad left us when I was very young, and because I was so small then, I didn’t understand what was fear and I didn’t know that death meant disappearing forever.”

Her mum, who was a radio DJ in the ’70s, raised her and her siblings — an older brother and a younger brother — single-handedly and Charmaine remains very close to her mum, who is now 67. They grew up not having money and there was once when her brothers wanted to go watch a movie in the cinema but they couldn’t afford the tickets. Charmaine knew that her mum felt really guilty so she suggested that they go play in the park instead because it wouldn't cost money.

It’s said that after her father’s death, she didn’t want her mum to feel lonely, so they slept on the same bed every night until Charmaine’s mum saved enough money to send her to Switzerland for college.

There’s another thing mother and daughter share. One of the most eye-catching things about Charmaine’s mum is of course her head of white hair. “I got my hair colour from my mum,” said Charmaine’s mum in an interview. “All my friends think that I specially dyed it white. Charmaine will be the same sooner or later. She got her first strand of white hair when she was 12.”

But because her family hasn’t lived in Hongkong for the past 20 years, the people closest to Charmaine are her friends. “When I’m unhappy or happy, I’ll share my feelings with them. I believe it’s most important to live in the moment. I think that it’s key to not sweat the small stuff. When you’re happy, you should enjoy every single moment of it.”

Photos: Charmaine Sheh's Weibo