Hong Kong actor Lee Kin-yan has been left half-paralysed and unable to speak after a stroke last year, Sohu reports.

59-year-old Lee is best known for his cross-dressing role as Ru Hua in Stephen Chow's comedies, where he is often spotted with a finger up his nostril.

Sohu reveals that the actor was at a sauna in Shenzhen last year when he experienced a headache and subsequently fainted.

Thankfully, Lee was with his assistant at the time, who got him to the hospital for treatment in a timely manner.

It was then discovered that he had suffered a stroke.

Sadly, Lee was rendered paralysed on his right side, and also lost his speech ability.

He later returned to Hong Kong to recuperate, and is currently under the care of his family.

In his latest Weibo post on July 6, Lee told fans that he will do his best to recover and return to the big screen soon.

"Grateful to everyone for keeping me in their thoughts," he added.

Felt apologetic towards family

Lee has two daughters and a son with his wife.

According to Topick, Lee once expressed in a reality show that he felt apologetic to his family for being Ru Hua, as he thought that his image might cause others to look down on his children.

Lee and Chow knew each other as classmates, and the actor actually started out by working behind the scenes for the director in 1989.

While Lee wanted to be an actor, the rest of the crew thought that his personality wasn't suited for the entertainment scene.

Chow, however, created the role of Ru Hua for Lee, which brought him no small amount of recognition.

Lee is reported to have always been grateful to Chow for boosting the popularity of such cameos, which led to job opportunities for the actors.

Top image via Lee Kin-yan's Facebook page