"Would I Get To See My Granddaughter?": Ruby Lin, 47, Worries About The 40-Year Age Gap With Her Daughter

It’s easy to forget that Taiwanese actress and producer, Ruby Lin, is 47 this year.

The doe-eyed beauty, who first made a name for herself playing Ziwei in the iconic 1998 drama My Fair Princess, hardly looks a day over 40.

The large age gap between Ruby and her daughter became a topic of discussion between the star and host Quan Yifeng in the latest episode of Hear U Out.

While we totally understand it’s a common concern amongst women who choose to have children later in their lives, we weren’t expecting Ruby to share the same worry as well.

Ruby tied the knot with actor Wallace Huo, 43, in 2016, and they welcomed their daughter ‘Little Dolphin’ a year after.

Although the couple is fiercely protective about their six-year-old’s privacy, Ruby's joy is palpable everytime she speaks of her Little Dolphin.

When asked by Yifeng about her favourite roles to take on in life, Ruby says it's being a mother and a daughter without a second’s hesitation. 

“I think that’s the most blissful thing. After having my daughter, I realised that a mother’s love for her daughter is really limitless,” she says.

She, however, regrets having her daughter at 40.

“I feel like it’s the best time to raise a child, because I’m [financially] stable and a lot more mature. But I also feel like it’s too late because we have a 40-year age gap. From the day I delivered her, I’ve been thinking [about how] I would be 60 by the time she’s 20,” explains Ruby.

Though she acknowledges many people don’t look their age these days, she is very aware the age difference between herself and her daughter is very real.

“I don’t want her to be like me and wait until 40 to get married. By then, I’ll be 80. Would I even get to see my granddaughter?” laments Ruby with a chuckle.

Ruby also says she will try her best to dissuade her daughter from joining showbiz.

“When I started, the industry, and the world was much simpler as compared to now. Technology was not as advanced. Now, it’s easy for people to criticise and cyberbully others online. Until now, I haven’t been fully able to accept that. You can choose not to look at [the comments], but when you do, it’s hard to not get angry. Why should I receive such scolding from you, especially when I don’t know who you are? How can I bear to let my daughter go through all this, [especially] since things might get even worse when she grows up?” she reasons.

While she hopes that her daughter grows up to be resilient enough to face the challenges thrown at her, Ruby wants to try her best to prevent Little Dolphin from going through the same obstacles she and Wallace did.

She adds: “I don’t feel like our journey was easy, and not everyone is as lucky as me to have received help from so many great people along the way. I would rather her be a normal person. If she likes music, she can play the piano. If she likes dancing, she can be a performer. She doesn’t need to enter showbiz.”

Ruby knows her daughter will make her own choices when she grows up, but that doesn't mean she won't try her best to guide her to pursue non-showbiz related prospects.

“Of course I sound very determined now, like I definitely don’t want her to enter my line of work. However, if she does decide [to join showbiz], that’s her life. It’s not possible for her to comply with everything we want,” says Ruby.

Photos: meWATCH, Ruby Lin/ Instagram

You can watch Hear U Out with Ruby Lin on meWATCH, or watch part one of the episode below.