CHANGSHA, China – Taiwanese actor Danson Tang has clarified that he was not forced to propose to his girlfriend on Chinese reality show Call Me By Fire.
His comments came after Taiwanese media reported that he had proposed to Taiwanese-American actress Becky Su at the urging of his fellow contestants, Chinese singer Tiger Hu and Chinese actor Lu Yi.
Su was present at the finale of the third season of Call Me By Fire (2021 to present) on Sunday to support Tang.
The actor reportedly had to borrow fellow contestant Taiwanese singer Jimmy Lin’s ring for the proposal.
Tang, 39, was first romantically linked to Su, 26, in 2019, but they have not confirmed their relationship, though they have been spotted on several dates.
“I did not expect the proposal to cause such a big controversy,” Tang wrote in Chinese in a Weibo post on Monday, his second statement on the incident.
“I mentioned to my ‘brothers’ during our frequent chats that I had plans for a proposal, but never found the right time to do it.”
Tang, who is known for Taiwanese idol dramas such as KO One (2005 to 2006) and Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (2006 to 2007), said he was surprised that his fellow contestants took his words to heart and helped him with his proposal on such a grand stage.
“This was already something I had planned to do and I was not pushed or coerced to do so,” he said on Monday. “It was just that my thoughts were fully focused on my performance.”
He said he did not expect his clumsy handling of the proposal to lead to a misunderstanding.
While the finale will be aired on Friday, netizens who were present on the show have spilled the beans that Chinese singer Chen Chusheng won and was also given the X-Leader award for best team leader.
It was revealed that 17 of the 24 final contestants were chosen to form a new team, including Lin, Hu, Lu, Malaysian singer Nicholas Teo and Thai singer Jeff Satur.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.