Michelle Yeoh says infertility made her 'feel like such a failure'
Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh recently opened up about her past struggle with infertility.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Woman's Hour podcast on Nov 18, Yeoh shared how she would feel “like a failure” every month for not being able to conceive.
She revealed that she had always wanted to have children and sought fertility treatments to aid the process.
"I think that’s the worst moment to go through… every month you feel like such a failure," she said.
The podcast explores issues affecting women, covering topics like politics, culture, health and relationships through interviews and expert discussions.
Yeoh, 62, married French motor racing executive Jean Todt last year.
She was previously married to Hong Kong business magnate Vincent Poon and she cited infertility as the cause of their 1992 divorce – something she mentioned in a podcast with Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow earlier this year.
Yeoh delved deeper into the pains of infertility in the recent BBC podcast, reflecting on the constant cycle of blaming herself.
She shared how she eventually came to accept her situation.
“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," said the Everything Everywhere All At Once star.
“You just have to let go and move on. And I think you come to a point where you have to stop blaming yourself.”
Yeoh also mentioned how her split from Poon was "heartbreaking" but necessary.
“Yes, we love each other very much now, but in 10 years or 20 years, I still can’t give him the family that he craves for," she explained.
“That's why dialogues like this between a couple are so important. If one wants something and the other doesn’t, this is something you have to face right at the beginning because along the way, there will be a lot of hurt."
"I don't live with regrets because I have always given it my 110 per cent. I did everything to make it work and sometimes even that is not enough.
"You have to learn to let go and sometimes letting go helps you move forward."
Yeoh and her husband welcomed a grandson on New Year's Day.
“I’m 62. Of course I’m not going to have a baby right now, but the thing is we just had a grandchild. Then you feel you’re still very, very blessed because you do have a baby in your life."
Yeoh will star in the upcoming movie Wicked, set to hit cinemas on Nov 22.
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