Actress Carina Lau Ka-ling has revealed that Deborah Lee, mother of actor Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, privately praised her former daughter-in-law Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi for her parenting during a recent episode of a mainland reality show.
In the TV show, Lau and Cheung were seen taking a walk together as Cheung shared her close, friend-like relationship with her two sons. She said she often exercises, shops and discusses fashion with them, describing herself as their “style adviser”. Her parenting approach, which emphasizes communication and allowing children to learn from consequences rather than punishment, drew praise from viewers online.
Lau disclosed that Lee had spoken highly of Cheung’s parenting, quoting her as saying that Cheung had raised her two grandsons very well. Cheung responded modestly, saying her children were naturally well-behaved.
The comments come amid long-standing rumors that Cheung had prevented Tse’s parents from seeing their grandchildren. In the past, producer Tiffany Chen Lan had made similar claims. Cheung did not respond directly but later shared photos of Lee spending time happily with the children, countering the speculation.
Lee has since publicly clarified that she regularly sees her grandsons and has celebrated birthdays with them in recent years, praising Cheung for raising polite and well-mannered children. Tse’s father, actor Patrick Tse Yin, has also repeatedly described Cheung as a good mother and former daughter-in-law, dismissing rumors of family estrangement.
Despite Cheung and Nicholas Tse’s divorce, she is still widely regarded as being held in high esteem by the Tse family.
