Hong Kong TV host Lillian Sze dies after battle with ovarian cancer

Hong Kong TV host Lillian Sze, known for her work on the ViuTV television network, died on June 21.

Sze was in her 20s, according to news outlet Hong Kong Free Press, although her exact age was not disclosed.

Her death was announced in an Instagram post that day, signed off by her boyfriend Kay Chan, relatives and friends. She died peacefully in the morning, surrounded by her loved ones and family, according to the post.

“Whether in her hosting work or her daily life, Lillian always faced everything with a positive and optimistic attitude,” they said.

Sze, who was also an actress and event emcee, was fluent in four languages – English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean – and had hosted fan meets for South Korean artistes.

Late in May, she announced on social media that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after she had two surgical operations to treat a tumour in February. The tumours, measuring up to 17cm, were discovered in October.

Sze wrote that she had a hysterectomy in April, after which she learnt that her condition was more serious than previously thought, and she had to be fitted with an artificial stoma.

In a Threads post thanking the online community for their good wishes on June 9, she said she was scheduled for a second chemotherapy session.

Then in an update on June 17, she said that her condition had deteriorated and that she would be put on palliative care as she was no longer fit for chemotherapy.

“But I want to be of use to others, so I’ve applied to be a body donor,” she added.

Comments have since poured in on Sze’s Threads and Instagram accounts, with many paying tribute to her work and wishing her family well.