Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

TVB Actor Mat Yeung Said He Cried A Lot When He Was In Prison

Now that he’s released, Mat says he most wants to eat a bowl of noodles and reunite with his parents.

TVB actor Mat Yeung hopes to start afresh now that he’s finished serving his 18-day sentence for drink driving.

Speaking to the media after his release yesterday (Jan 8), the 41-year-old said that being in prison gave him a lot of time to think and reflect, and that he had learned a big lesson.

“I feel I need to grow up and there are many areas that I need to improve. Now that I am out, I hope that I can do more to help others or to make up for what I did,” he said tearfully.

He added that he had disappointed TVB and the people who had supported him and is most sorry to his parents.

"This is what I am most guilty about. They are so old and yet they have to worry about me. They were very worried that I would be afraid [in prison] and encouraged me a lot,” he said.

“I promise that I will never let this happen again. And I will do more to help and give back to society 'cos a lot of people like the prison officers and doctors gave me a lot of encouragement.”

Last November, Mat was sentenced to 18 days in jail, suspended from driving for two years and handed a HK$3,000 (S$520) fine for driving while intoxicated.  

He felt very lonely and cried a lot

During the interview, Mat also opened up about prison life.

He shared that life behind bars was very routine. He woke up at 6am every day, had his meal, and then the doctor would go see him. Most of his time was spent alone and “facing four walls”.

“I spent a lot of time alone in the cell reading and thinking about things…. I cried a lot and had a lot of fear 'cos this was all very foreign to me…I felt very lonely on the first few days and also very guilty. I felt worse after reading letters from [girlfriend] Lisa [Ch’ng] and the company,” he said sobbing.

He is very grateful to Lisa for visiting and writing to him, as well as facing the pressures from the media and public outside.

Mat's girlfriend, actress Lisa Ch'ng picked the actor up from Stanley Prison after his release

When asked if he had requested to be transferred from Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institution to Stanley Prison for fear of his personal safety, Mat clarified that the transfer was all part of prison procedures and is “very normal”.

I had to self-quarantine in Lai Chi Kok for the first five days  — this is part of the procedure. When more people came in, they transferred me to Stanley Prison. This is very normal and not for my personal safety. When I was in Stanley prison, I was in a solitary cell too. It’s very safe there,” he shared.

Mat added that there was no chance to interact with anyone other than the officers and doctors and safety was never an issue.

Despite this, he admitted that he felt quite stressed and could not sleep the night before his release.

“I kept thinking about issues I would encounter [after his release] and how I was going to face the media. I hope everyone understands that I know I did wrong and not speculate about what happened inside and give me some space," he said.

He hopes to spend more time with his parents

Now that Mat is released, he wants to have a bowl of noodles as well as see his parents.

But that will have to wait as they have tested positive for Covid-19 and are under quarantine at the Penny’s Bay isolation camp.

"I just hope to spend more time with my family. I have been in showbiz for more than 20 years and in the past 10 years, I have barely spent time with them," he said.

Photos: Ming Pao

Related topics

Mat Yeung prison drink driving tvb

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.