BEIJING - Taiwanese actor Nicky Wu and his wife, Chinese actress Liu Shishi, have refuted rumours that their marriage is on the rocks.

The couple issued an identical statement on their respective Weibo accounts at 8pm on Sunday (Feb 27), writing in Chinese: "We initially did not want to respond publicly to false comments on our private lives, but they have caused disturbance to our lives, families and friends.

"Please do not spread them as we are doing well. Thank you for your concern."

The post is accompanied by a letter from a law firm, which says it has taken legal action against several Weibo accounts.

Wu, 51, and Liu, 34, tied the knot in 2015 and threw a star-studded wedding in Bali in 2016 after starring as lovers in the Chinese time-travel drama Scarlet Heart (2011).

The couple, who have a two-year-old son, also starred in the sequel Scarlet Heart 2 in 2014.

On Friday (Feb 25), a Chinese netizen posted a series of comics on social media. It revolved around gossip about an actor who is married to a much younger actress.

The final post was a wedding picture, which some said resembled a photo of Wu and Liu taken during their wedding in 2016.

Rumours began to spread, with some netizens speculating that Wu and Liu were headed for divorce.

Wu swiftly issued a legal statement on Friday, urging the person to delete the libellous content and apologise publicly.

The actor also changed his profile photo on Weibo to one of him with his wedding ring on his finger, indicating that he is still married.