HONG KONG • Hong Kong actress Carman Lee, known for playing Xiao Long Nu (Little Dragon Maiden) in the 1995 television adaptation of Louis Cha's The Return Of The Condor Heroes, has finally revealed her actual age.

Often regarded to be the most beautiful Xiao Long Nu, Lee has kept her age a mystery for a long time and was thought to be as young as 47 or at most 53.

However, on her birthday on Sunday, the svelte Lee, who has been praised for her youthful looks, disclosed on Weibo that she is actually 54.

"The me of today, who turns 54, has walked through much of life. In the eyes of some people, I might no longer be a woman, much less a female actress in her prime," she wrote.

But she maintained that what is most important is to stay healthy.

"There might be some that feel that when a woman is young, she should be skinny. And when she ages, she should have more meat. However, everyone's perception of beauty is different. Fat or thin, it is best to be healthy."

Chinese media reports commented that Lee, who acted opposite Louis Koo, 49, in Condor Heroes, has turned out to be older than Koo in real life as in the show.

In earlier interviews, Lee disclosed that she had slipped into depression about a decade ago after breaking up with her boyfriend of 10 years in 2008 and her father's death from illness in 2009.

She credits her family and friends for helping her to recover.

In recent years, she has appeared in Chinese productions, including popular fantasy series The Untamed, and is known for her healthy lifestyle and toned figure.

On Sunday, she also took some questions from netizens, including why she has not gotten married.

She wrote: "I have always felt that an ideal marriage is to simply meet the right person at the right time - and not to get married in itself."