Former TVB actor Gregory Charles Rivers, who is also known as Ho Kwok Wing, probably speaks better Cantonese than most people. And you probably remember him as the token gweilo in many TVB dramas.

After dropping out of medical school, the Australian moved to Hongkong in 1987 to pursue a career in showbiz because of his passion for Cantopop. He is now one of the best-known Western faces in the city, having spent more than three decades in front of the camera. According to reports, Gregory left TVB in 2008, after screen legend Chow Yun Fat encouraged him to branch into movies.

In 2017, Gregory was diagnosed with skin cancer after finding a swelling on the right side of his ear. He underwent surgery and has remained cancer-free to date. However, that wasn’t the end of his health woes. In 2018, he was diagnosed with arrhythmia, a problem that arises when there's an irregularity with the rate or rhythm of one's heartbeat. His condition was so serious that he had to undergo two rounds of surgery, and chalked up massive debts as a result.

While the actor has not publicly revealed how much his medical bills are, Hongkong media did some sleuthing and discovered that he is now HK$800,000 (S$140,000) in debt. When reporters contacted him for clarification, Gregory said: “[The surgeries] were very expensive. Even insurance couldn’t cover all of it and I had to fork out hundreds of thousands for them.”

He admitted that the bulk of his debt is to the bank. “I don’t like owing people money, because it’s not good for my friends. Borrowing money from friends is also very difficult [to manage] because there’s no fixed amount of money that I have to repay a month. I feel that owing everything to an institution that can take charge of that is a much better solution.”

Despite his financial woes, Gregory still remains upbeat. “It’s important to be happy and optimistic. If there are jobs for me, I enjoy doing them and do my best in everything (…) There was a period of time where [my wife and I] would only buy discounted items at the supermarket. We wanted to find and buy only the cheapest things. Our situation is a little better now, but even then, we try to be careful about what we buy.”

The 54-year-old married jewelry designer Bonnie Cheung in 1988. They met when he was teaching English to supplement his income. They have no kids together.

Photos: PBE Media

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