Why do celebrities hide their divorce to the public?

Speakers: Ryan Price, Niu Honglin, and Lu Sirui

[Photo: Baidu.com]

It's come to light that Chinese actress Bai Baihe and her singer husband Chen Yufan hid their divorce and pretended that they were together for more than a year after their split. Bai was recently spotted with a young man while on holiday. After the news of Bai's holiday romance came out, her former husband Chen Yufan confessed on his Weibo that they had divorced in 2015, and that they kept it secret because they did not want to hurt their son.

Netizens criticized the couple, saying that celebrities should not deceive the public. Some pointed out that When Bai Baihe participated in a singing competition in 2016, she said she would sing one of her "husband's" songs in an interview and on her Weibo account. She also told the public that her "husband" was so thoughtful and sweet and that he helped her a lot with her singing skills.

Bai Baihe and Chen Yufan are not the first celebrity- couple in China to hide their divorce. Why do celebrities go to so much effort to pretend they still have perfect relationships? Do they worry that their fans cannot accept a failed marriage, or are they concerned that their public image will be damaged?

The audio clip is from Round Table, produced by CRI.