Joyce Cheng, the daughter of late Hongkong comedienne Lydia Sum, has been open about her insecurities for years. A lot of it stems from the constant comparisons to her famous parents — her dad is actor Adam Cheng — as well as the public and media's constant scrutiny of her looks.

The 33-year-old, who has since found peace with herself, opened up about her inner demons on YouTube talk show Stephen Talk, which is helmed by former TVB exec Stephen Chan. There, she talked about her negative view on romantic relationships, which was only made worse by her ex-fiancé, who called off their engagement in 2015.

She has only briefly mentioned this relationship in the past, but now admits that it left her with emotional scars. “He planned the proposal without my knowledge and had help from my family members,” Joyce let on. “I thought that I was going to get married.”

Little did she know that a simple misunderstanding would derail all plans. For reasons not explained, her then-fiancé thought she was cheating on him. And even after she maintained her innocence, he still insisted she was guilty.

“After a day at work, I went home. He was still suspicious and decided to break off our engagement. That really hurt my feelings because there was no way we could fix our relationship,” Joyce admitted. “It was a very difficult period for me.”

Joyce said she is still healing from that failed relationship. “I started seeing a therapist this year and I’m working on [my insecurities], she revealed. There’s a stigma in Asian communities that caring for your mental health means that you’re crazy, but that’s not true. People spend time exercising for the sake of their physical health, so what’s wrong with putting a little effort into taking care of your mental health too?”

Though Joyce didn't say who her ex-fiance was, she dated photographer Silas Lee for two years before breaking up in 2015.

Photos: PBE Media

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