"You Feel Like Such A Failure" — Michelle Yeoh Shares How Her Infertility Affected Her
"At some point, you stop blaming yourself," the actress said.
By Celine Low — 19 Nov 2024, 12:06 PM
Michelle Yeoh recently opened up about feeling "like a failure" for not being able to have children
Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh bravely shared about the emotional toll of infertility during a podcast interview of BBC's Woman's Hour yesterday, 18 November.
The Ipoh-born actress, known for her string of Hollywood blockbusters like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, said she had always wanted to have a family and was deeply affected when fertility treatments proved unsuccessful.
"I went to do fertility [treatments] to aid in the process, and I think that the worst moment to go through is every month, you feel like such a failure," she said.
Yeoh revealed that her inability to conceive contributed to the breakdown of her first marriage to Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon, whom she was married to from 1988 to 1992.
Yeoh had previously spoke candidly about her marriage to Poon and their desire to start a family together on an episode of The goop Podcast with Gwyneth Paltrow
"We did everything necessary to have children, but unfortunately, I was physically unable to," she said during her appearance on the podcast.
She explained that Poon wanted to have a large family to carry on his lineage. Their busy schedules and prolonged periods of separation for work also contributed to the decision to end their four-year marriage.
When asked by Woman's Hour presenter Nuala McGovern about how she came to terms with not having children of her own, Yeoh admitted it "took a long time".
"These are conversations that you really need to have with yourself and be able to look ahead and think, 'Yes, we love each other very much now but in 10 years, 20 years, I still can't give him the family that he craves for.'"
Now aged 62, Yeoh admitted that she still thinks about "what could've been" but has reached a point of acceptance
"I think at some point, you stop blaming yourself and go, 'There are certain things in your body that don't function in a certain way. That's how it is, you just have to let go and move on'," she told McGovern.
Yeoh shared that she and Poon are still good friends, even becoming a godmother to his eldest daughter. She also added that she feels blessed to have a number of godchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Yeoh got engaged to French motor racing executive Jean Todt in 2004, and the couple married in 2023. Her stepson and his wife gave birth to a baby last year, whom the actress proudly shows off on her Instagram account.
