Jet Li's manager dismisses rumours of action star's poor health, says he is completely fine

Recent photos circulating on China's social-media platforms have stirred speculation about the actor's health. PHOTOS: WEIBO

HONG KONG •The manager of Jet Li has parried talk that the Chinese action star has been felled by an illness. According to USA Today, Mr Steven Chasman said Li, 55, is "completely fine".

Recent photos circulating on China's social-media platforms have stirred speculation about the actor's health. The photos of Li visiting a temple in Tibet seemed to depict him as very frail.

But Mr Chasman quashed the online chat, calling it "much ado about nothing".

"We appreciate everyone's concern. But Jet is completely fine. There's nothing wrong with him.

"There's no life-threatening illness. He's in great shape."

He pointed out that one photo cannot really provide the big picture of Li's condition.

"It's one picture and people are making these interpretations from it. If you took a picture of me at the wrong angle and wrong time of the day, I could look frail as well."

What is known is that Li, in 2010, was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, whose symptoms include muscle weakness and sleeping problems.

But last Saturday, Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reported that Li had revealed last year that even though he had been taking medication, the condition "kept coming back".

But he has not pressed the pause button in his career. Last month, it was reported that he was in talks to play the emperor in Disney's upcoming live-action version of Mulan, together with Chinese star Gong Li.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 23, 2018, with the headline Jet Li's manager dismisses rumours of action star's poor health, says he is completely fine. Subscribe