Shaun Chen supportive of ex-wife Michelle Chia's new marriage, says she's a 'good friend'

Shaun Chen has spoken publicly for the first time on the recent marriage of Michelle Chia, his ex-wife and fellow Mediacorp actor.

Chia, who turns 50 in September, got hitched on Aug. 8 to someone outside of the entertainment industry after just over two months together.

She and Chen previously dated for six years before they were married from 2009 until their divorce in 2011.

In 2015, Chen married Malaysian beautician Celine Chin, and the couple now has two daughters together.

No one dared to ask Chen about Chia's marriage

Chen, now 46, expressed support for Chia's second marriage, while co-hosting a Facebook livestream on Mediacorp's online shopping programme, The Wonder Shop on Aug. 22.

The topic came up when the other host, local influencer Tai Tai Chan, mentioned that Chen had been married twice.

Both hosts then broke into laughter, knowing immediately what Chan was alluding to.

"A lot of people have not dared to ask me this question," Chen said.

He shared that he was in Australia on a holiday when the news about Chia's new marriage broke, and "no one dared to message" him.

People would only try to subtly ask him about it when they saw him, he said.

"I said, 'What does it have to do with me?'" he added with a smile. "[Our relationship] is a thing of the distant past. There are already no feelings left. She is my good friend, so I wish her the best."

Chan described Chen and Chia as a golden couple when they were together, then briefly brought up Chen's current wife.

It prompted Chen to laugh nervously and try to get her to drop the subject.

However, when Chan suggested inviting Chin to the livestream another day, Chen called it a good idea and said he would ask her.

"To be frank, [Chin] is not very good at speaking... but I think she is very honest," he said.

Top images from Yow Ching Lee/Lianhe Wanbao and The Wonder Shop's Facebook