Michelle Yeoh opens up about feeling like a 'failure' for not having children
Michelle Yeoh openly talked about her infertility struggles as she recalled feeling like a “failure” for not being able to have kids.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, the Crazy Rich Asians star reflected on how it has impacted her marriage and her identity as a woman.
“I’ve always wanted to have children. When I was married the first time, that was very clear in our path that this was a marriage about having children,” she said.
Yeoh shared she used to go to a fertility center to help her in the process, which she admitted was quite challenging for her.
"I think the worst moment to go through is every month you feel like such a failure," she said. "And then you go, ‘Why’?”
The 62-year-old star said that it was the main factor why her first marriage to businessman Dickson Poon ended, to whom she was married from 1988 to 1992.
According to her, being honest about the situation helped them figure out their next steps as a couple then. “Yes, we love each other now, but in 10 years or 20 years, I still can't give him the family that he craves, and you have to be fair.”
“So, I think it was very brave on our part to admit to say, ‘let’s not drag this out’ because that’s what we’re doing. We tried,” Yeoh continued, stressing that conversations about family planning are essential for couples.
Poon later on had children, with Yeoh being the godmother of his eldest child.
Looking back, the Everything Everywhere All at Once star said it took her a “long time” to accept the fact that she would not have children of her own, but she eventually learned to stop blaming herself.
“I think at some point, you stop blaming yourself. There are certain things in your body that [don't] function in a certain way. That's how it is,” she said.
"You just have to let go and move on. And I think you come to a point where you just have to stop blaming [yourself]," she mused.
While she admits she still thinks about having biological children from time to time, she remains grateful to have a grandchild.
“I'm 62. Of course, I'm not going to have a baby right now... but the thing is we just had a grandchild,” she said. “Then you feel you're still very, very blessed because you do have a baby in your life.”
Yeoh married Jean Todt in 2023 after being engaged for almost 20 years. She currently stars as Madame Morrible in the movie, Wicked.