 |
| Instagram/Kate Tsui |
No red carpet, no flashbulbs—just a jumpsuit and sneakers.
Former Hong Kong actress Kate Tsui, once a household name across Asia, has popped up quietly at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, much to the surprise (and delight) of a keen-eyed fan. It’s her first proper public sighting in years since she bowed out of the entertainment spotlight in 2019.
Now 45, Tsui famously shut the door on her showbiz life at the very top of her game. After wrapping up a stellar 15-year career—complete with beauty queen beginnings, TVB dramas galore, and movie roles alongside action heavyweights—she announced she was done with it all. No press conference, no drawn-out farewell. Just a calm goodbye, followed by the sale of her car, her swanky pad at Residence Bel-Air, and a ticket out of Hong Kong. Her destination? Europe. Her mission? Academia and anonymity.
And she meant it.
Shortly after, Tsui vanished off social media, deactivating both her Facebook and Instagram accounts. While fans occasionally whispered about spotting her in London or catching glimpses of her through uni corridors, nothing solid had surfaced.
That is, until now.
A French museumgoer recently clocked Tsui quietly wandering through the Monet rooms at the Orangerie in Paris. Dressed down in a loose-fitting jumpsuit, curly hair flowing, and her trademark grace intact, she looked far removed from the glamorous celebrity life she once led. No entourage. No designer shades. Just a woman enjoying art.
 |
It’s a far cry from her red carpet days. Tsui rose to fame after winning Miss Hong Kong 2004, quickly becoming one of TVB’s leading ladies with roles in The Brink of Law, Steps, and Moonlight Resonance. On the big screen, she held her own in Eye in the Sky, 14 Blades, and Turning Point 2. But it turns out her real passion lay in the mind, not the lens.
While filming, she quietly pursued a course in design and coloured gemstones in 2015, eventually launching her own jewellery brand. Then came a Master’s in Psychology at the University of Hong Kong, which she wrapped up in mid-2019. That was the real turning point—she later revealed her plans to pursue a Doctorate in Europe, and the rest, as they say, was silence.
That silence was briefly broken recently when her name cropped up during Raymond Lam’s seven-night concert series at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Long-time fans of the duo hoped for a throwback reunion, reminiscing about her surprise appearance as a guest performer 15 years ago. But she didn’t show. Lam himself called her “a missing person,” admitting they’d lost touch completely.
Actress Jessica Hsuan, however, confirmed she’s still in contact with Tsui but respects her wish to stay out of the limelight. “She’s living her life,” Hsuan reportedly said, keeping further details under wraps.
Online, the reaction to the Paris sighting was nothing but love.
“She must really love the peace of ordinary life to give up everything,” one fan wrote.
“She looks so happy, it makes me happy too,” another chimed in.
Kate Tsui isn’t the first celebrity to disappear from fame and live quietly, but the grace with which she’s done it—without fuss, scandal, or staged comebacks—feels almost rare in today’s fame-chasing culture. Whether or not she’ll ever return to the screen remains unknown. But for now, it seems Kate Tsui has found her canvas—and she’s painting life her own way.