Former TVB actress Belinda Hamnett, 45, revealed that she filed for bankruptcy in January as she was unable to pay the remainder of her late mother’s medical bills. Her mother passed away three years ago after battling thyroid disease and lung cancer, raking up HK$400K (S$69K) of hospital bills.

Belinda, whose Cantonese name is Hon Kwun-Ting, had managed to pay half of it and was left with HK$200K (S$34.5K) to clear when COVID-19 struck.

The British-Chinese beauty, who reportedly grew up in Singapore, admitted that while her career in the beauty industry used to provide her with “enough” income, the pandemic put an end to it. She was also not eligible for government aid, which added more stress on her financials.

Belinda ultimately decided to file for bankruptcy as she was receiving calls from debt collectors, who even harassed her celeb friends and her brother’s colleagues when she was behind on her payments.

She also didn't want to borrow money from her pals as she didn't want to ruin her friendships.

In order to save money, she now shares a small home with a friend and skips meals whenever she can.

In an interview with Hongkong media, Belinda shared that she went public with her story as she felt that those who are in similar circumstances as her should talk about their problems.

“I’m a prime example that there’s always a solution and that they should never give up,” said Belinda.

Belinda, who won the Miss Asia Pageant in 1997, retired from showbiz in 2010 after her contract with TVB expired. She made a brief comeback in 2015 and was criticised by viewers for having a “crooked” nose, which she explained was the result of a bad fall.