Beijing - Jackie Chan says he thought divorce would happen when his affair with actress Elaine Ng became news in 1999.

In an autobiography out next month, the action star revealed that, when scandalous reports came out that Ng was pregnant with his child, he did not know how to approach his wife, former actress Lin Feng-jiao, about it.

"The news reports then were explosive. I wanted to phone (Lin) but I did not know what I should say. There was no way I could explain," he recalls in the book, whose Chinese title translates as Jackie Chan: Never Grow Up, Only Get Older.

"An apology alone would not undo the mistake. Later, I thought - don't explain, just divorce. I committed such a big error. It will definitely be a divorce."

Chan in 1999 later admitted to reporters he had committed a "mistake men around the world will have made". But he remained with Lin who appeared to have forgiven him. Ng gave birth to daughter Etta Ng, who is now 15.

The book is compiled from life stories Chan said he told his friend Zhu Mo, whose job is to follow him around to capture the goings-on in his life and write his Weibo postings.

It was Zhu who suggested putting stories that could not go on Weibo into a book. The three-year effort will be published in April when Chan turns 61.

The book also talks about his parents, Lin, their son Jaycee and his rumoured old love, the late singer Teresa Teng.

On Jaycee, who served time for a drug offence in Beijing this year, Chan says he also made mistakes in his youth but one just needs to turn over a new leaf.

"After that, you should become like a real man, and stand strong by yourself to face all that you need to face," he says in the book.

The multi-millionaire also mentions his antiques and other precious collectibles stored in eight warehouses, some of which he has donated. He says his son does not want any of them, except for a painting by Chinese painter Xu Beihong.

On Weibo last week, Chan, who grew up training in martial arts and Beijing opera, said he could not believe he could write a book because of his background.

"I'm not good with words and am often misunderstood. Rather than let others talk about my past, why not say it myself, so that people can find the real me through the book," he said.