Korean-American Star Li Cheng Xuan Admits He Was Ashamed Of Being A Stay-At-Home Dad For A Year

Korean-American actor Nathan Li Cheng Xuan (also known as Lee Seung Hyun) is not one of the more well-known contestants on reality competition Call Me By Fire — it's hard to out-famous stars like Jerry Yan, Jordan Chan and Julian Cheung — but his recent interview on the show was certainly boosted his profile.

During the interview, the 36-year-old, who is married to 35-year-old Chinese singer Stephy Qi Wei, admitted that he fell into depression when he didn't work for a year. The couple's daughter Lucky is six now.

Cheng Xuan was asked if he felt ashamed about being a stay-at-home dad, and he confessed that he “once harboured such thoughts”.

“I grew up in a traditional family where men were expected to be the breadwinners of the family. As a full-time dad, I felt a lot of pressure because I didn’t have any jobs for a year and was just looking after my daughter.”

“You spend a lot of time and energy on a daily basis but when you look at what you’ve done, it seems like you’ve achieved nothing,” he continued. “I wanted [Lucky] to learn certain things but I was too hard on her when she couldn’t meet my expectations.”

Cheng Xuan said there was friction between him and his daughter because he was “too emotional” and he would regret raising his voice at her almost immediately.

“I’d cry and apologise to her while she was asleep, and spend hours online after that looking for information on how best to educate young children,” he said. “I almost collapsed while keeping up with this cycle.”

Cheng Xuan had considered seeing a psychiatrist, but didn't in the end because he grew used to caring for his daughter.

Photos: PBE Media