The Stars Involved In The Hong Huifang & Pan Lingling Feud Have Spoken Up
Maybe it's time to put this whole saga behind us?
There’s a reason this scandal is so shocking. Sure, there are the lurid details — the character assassination of a young actress being the most damaging — but also because it involves two familiar Ch 8 actresses who have been pals for as long as their kids, now in the public eye as well, have been around. But now that Hong Huifang, Pan Lingling and Julie Tan have spoken up about what's possibly the biggest showbiz scandal to hit Singapore this year, maybe it's time to find put this whole saga behind us?
Pan Lingling
In an interview with Toggle, the actress apologised to Julie Tan and her parents for hurting them with her words. Her apology comes after Julie Tan’s mother, Doris Khaw, had threatened to sue Lingling unless the actress issues a public apology. “I would like to apologise to them. I am friends with her mother and I don’t wish for her to have any misunderstandings with me, so this is the most basic thing I can do as a friend,” said Lingling.
As for the three incidents that Huifang had highlighted in her Whatsapp rant as the reasons she had decided to renounce her friendship with Lingling, the latter said: “I have no comment on this, I really don’t mean to hurt anyone, that is not my intention and I don’t mean ill.” She also added that she didn’t expect the issue to blow up as it has.
Pan Lingling part deux
“I didn’t expect that she’d be so angry… I didn’t reply to Hui Fang or anyone’s messages…”said Lingling, who also told Toggle that she hasn’t been in contact with Huifang since receiving the text messages. “I know what I’m doing and I hope people who know what I’m like know that I am not picking on anybody. I don’t think I need to further elaborate on this (her discord with Hui Fang) [and] let nature take its course.”
In another interview with Zaobao, Lingling was asked if she would apologise to Huifang and have a good talk with her former friend to sort things out. The actress paused before saying, “I think I better not say more. The more things I say, the more mistakes I make. I don’t want to say more things that might hurt others.” She then choked up before adding, “This October will mark the fifth anniversary of me recovering from cancer. I just want to continue living well.”
Hong Huifang
The actress finally broke her silence on the matter when she told Lianhe Wanbao that she had only sent the text to her friends so they wouldn’t be too shocked when they discover what happened between her and Lingling and that she hadn’t thought too much about the consequences. When told that both she and Lingling have their own share of supporters in this saga, Huifang said: “This is a private matter between me and her. This is not a war and there is no winner or loser.”
There have also been people who have accused Huifang of using this incident as a publicity stunt, to which she said: “I am a bit worried about this but those who understand what happened will know the issue at hand, those who don’t understand will think of it as two old women fighting.”
As for whether there is any way for her to forgive Lingling, Huifang said: “Nothing in this world is impossible, we’ll see!”
Julie Tan
The actress, argubly the biggest victim in this incident, was dragged into the scandal when screenshots of Huifang’s Whatsapp rant were leaked. In them, Huifang had accused Lingling of jumping into conclusions regarding the rumoured relationship between Julie and Huifang’s son Calvert. It was also mentioned in the texts that Lingling had told Calvert to go for an STD inoculation jab, and mentioned Julie’s past relationships, including one with a Caucasian man.
A distraught Julie told Shin Min Daily News that she only found out what Lingling had said about her yesterday (July 23). “Huifang-jie didn’t tell me anything, she was protecting me,” said Julie. “A lot of people think that Huifang-jie is a bully, but she was speaking up for me and revealing the truth… This is a very serious matter, especially for my parents who were very upset after they read what was written. I think Huifang-jie deserves some justice and I want to speak up for myself, to not silently accept such bullying!”
According to Shin Min, Julie also choked up several times during the interview. She also mentioned that she had heard from her colleagues the nasty comments Lingling had made about her and that several young actors have also complained about getting verbally bullied too.
