Wang Leehom breaks silence, ex-wife counter-attacks

20 Dec - The war between singer-songwriter Wang Leehom and his ex-wife Lee Jinglei continues to sizzle, with Leehom himself finally decided to break his silence about their marriage and divorce.

On 19 December, following Jinglei's statement refuting the singer's father Wong Ta-Chung, Leehom posted a long essay on Instagram, calling the whole situation a painful nightmare.

Stressing that he would rather not besmirch the good name of the mother of his children, Leehom said he decided to respond so not to let people think what Jinglei said is true.

Posting a 2013 email conversation online, he wrote (as translated by Taiwan News), "I met Nishiharu Michiko (her name when we first met) at my concert in 2003, but we did not contact each other again for about 10 years. Today I found the record of our first conversation in my e-mail inbox. In the message, she even called me "stranger," and I told her, "Haven't seen you in forever." At the time, she was 26 and not underage as Lee implied."

Leehom said that Jinglei became pregnant not long after they got together, but threatened him that she would disappear, change her name, and that he would not see the child in her belly. He agreed, he said, but that his decision caused a five year and eight months of suffering before they separated in 2019.

"From March 2014, we began going to counselors who specialised in marriage. In total, we went to five counselors, but in the end, unfortunately, we were never able to get better. I had hoped that with this fact, we could bravely face this challenge together," he said.

Leehom said that after the separation, they began negotiating the divorce, and that Jinglei threatened to tell the media things that would ruin his career if he would not comply to her demands. He said she demanded around RMB 200 million, and they both finally agreed with RMB 150 million in assets, including half the house in Los Angeles, and half of their stocks, as well as RMB$210,000 every month for living costs. Additionally, a nanny, a driver, a vehicle, a 24-hour live-in maid, were to be provided for Lee and that she was also allowed to live in the house in Taipei for free until 2018.

He also shared a screenshot of the list of assets given to Lee, but with some blurred out information.

Jinglei did not wait a second to respond to Leehom, releasing her own statement in the wee morning of 20 December to refute his every point.

To Leehom's statement that they lost contact for ten years since meeting at his concert in 2003, Jinglei listed all of the things they did during that year, including going to dinner at his colleague's house, watching a movie together, having sushi, and stated that Leehom even went to see her in the middle of the night while he was dating someone else.

"You don't remember? Since 2003, contact has occurred from time to time. On these occasions, our friends at the time can testify," she said.

Regarding the division of property, Jinglei shared a part of the agreement, in which she "releases the husband of and from any and all obligations that exist or that might otherwise arise or exist for the support and maintenance of the wife."

"The only expenses mentioned are indeed only for the children as I stated, "Living expenses and education expenses" and existing staff should not be dismissed (and your amnesty "free" to let me borrow the house for 18 years and then return your house). So... the reader is not a fool. Don't try to confuse the audience!" she added.

Regarding Leehom's statement that he was living under fear of blackmail and threats, Jinglei released a professional analysis of the psychologist they went to, who stated that Leehom (who uses the nickname Bobby during consultation) is believed to have sex addiction and narcissistic personality disorder.

"The psychologist also say that you will always change your mind until you can find a psychologist who will convince you that your wife is a lunatic. Of the five you mentioned, only two (including this one) was actually consulted, and the others were only tested. During the consultation process, there will be various situations such as sand table deductions or role playing or release of emotions. It is a very private and safe space. If you have a recording, it is illegal and it may be false slander," she added.

Jinglei then stated that she will continue to reply to other questions in future statements.

Here is Jinglei's statement in full:

(Photo Source: Wang Leehom, Lee Jinglei Instagram)