Ex-Mediacorp actress Yang Libing, 60, says no hatred between her & ex-husband Li Nanxing, still open to acting together

Former Mediacorp actress Yang Libing says there is "no deep-seated hatred" between her and ex-husband Li Nanxing after their divorce.

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Yang, who turned 60 in November 2025, said she is open to acting together with Li.

If Li comes across a good script and role and is willing to participate, Yang is open to sharing the stage with him, she said.

The former "golden couple" in the local entertainment industry got married in 1994, but divorced in 2004 citing irreconcilable differences.

Marriage to divorce

Yang and Li shot to fame after starring in "On the Fringe", which made its debut in 1988.

Yang, a former Mediacorp actress who was awarded "Best Supporting Actress" at the Star Awards in 1999, is now a real estate agent.

While Li founded his own talent management agency and ventured into the food and beverage industry, opening dessert cafe Tian Wang Desserts.

Speaking about their divorce, Yang added: "It's just that things happened...we each still have our own lives."

She likened a marriage to "plain water". When marriage is mixed with complex factors like money and family background,  this "water" loses its original purity, she said.

In such a case, "letting go may be the only way out".

She added: "Many couples are reluctant to let go because they are unwilling to give up. But if you don't let go, you are actually not letting go of yourself."

Toto winnings

When asked if she had achieved financial freedom, Yang told Lianhe Zaobao that she currently lives with her elderly mother who she looks after, and owns a private property for investment.

She added that she had previously been "scammed".

She and her ex-partner, whom she did not name, had a habit of buying Toto lottery tickets together, spending S$28 each time.

Yang said that one morning, after checking the lottery numbers and realising that they matched, she called her then-partner to ask how much they had won as she was "clueless" as to how the prize money was calculated.

She recounted that her ex-partner paused for a moment and said it was S$1,688, to which Yang jumped up and shouted that she had never won so much money from Toto lottery tickets before.

When Yang found S$1,688 in a drawer at home, she was happy thinking her ex-partner was "so kind" to give her all the money.

But she was told by a mutual friend years later that the winnings actually amounted to at least six figures.

Sister

Recounting the past, Yang also spoke of her late sister, local actress Yang Lina.

The late Yang, who died aged 47 in 2010 from uterine cancer, used to operate a hair salon with her in Toa Payoh.

Yang recalled how they often argued but the late Yang would still buy her favourite pineapple the next day and casually say: "There's pineapple in the fridge, go eat it yourself."

Choking up with emotion, Yang recalled that she would often hide behind her sister when she was around.

"But she is gone now and my father died two years ago. As the people around me left one by one, I grew up very quickly," Yang said.

Apart from looking after her mother, who is in her 80s, Yang also looks after her late sister's two daughters.

These responsibilities, she said, have left her no time to "wallow in grief" and have forced her to be strong.

Future plans

Moving forward, Yang said she does not have much anxiety about the future.

"I'm not depressed and I'm still alive," she said, adding that "this is the best blessing that the heavens have given [her]".

From March 2026, Yang is set to film a new internet talk show "Bing Ke Qing Tan" with former TV host Zhu Yongqin.

Top photos via Li Nanxing/Instagram and Emily Yeo/TikTok