BFFS NO MORE: The Asian celeb edition

Once upon a time…

Kai Ko burst into the entertainment scene in 2011 with Giddens Ko’s You Are the Apple of My Eye, following which he skyrocketed to the top of the food chain. Countless endorsements, job offers and recognition followed suit – and his buddy Darren Wang was beside him all the way.

The pair, who each turn 24 this year, were elementary and middle school friends who lived a level apart from each other and have known each other for over a decade. Even at work, the two are under director Angie Chai’s management label.

While Kai was relishing in his fame, Darren was still struggling to make a name for himself – a feat he finally managed to achieve this year with his role in Our Times. On the other hand, Kai has seen his popularity plummet after his brush with the law in 2014 for substance abuse. He recently made his acting comeback with movie The Road to Mandalay.

As such, the unofficial title of the Nation’s Boyfriend has passed from Kai to Darren – along with numerous endorsements and rumoured girlfriend Eugenie Liu.

Despite the reversal in the pair’s fortunes, they remained steadfast friends and Darren even took to his Weibo to declare, “We’re not colleagues, we’re brothers (and) family for life!"

These days, however…

Kai and Darren are said to have recently fallen out over the latter’s decision to leave the company due to concerns that her negative reputation will hinder his entry into the Chinese market.

Kai, who called his good buddy “ungrateful” for his decision, reportedly issued an ultimatum to Darren, saying that their friendship will be no more if he goes ahead with his plans. Rumoured girlfriend Eugenie is also said to have called things off with him due to his intention to terminate his contract.

While there have been no concrete developments from this pair, there may be still hope yet as they were spotted at a gathering last week. Darren even uploaded a photo of the two locking lips with the caption, “The truth will prevail!”

Netizens have expressed hope that the rocky friendship between these childhood friends will be able to stand this test and that they will continue being BFFs for a long, long time.

Breaking point: Differences in opinion

Once upon a time…

This pair has also known each other more than for a decade, with them first crossing paths at an inter-junior college pageant. Desmond was from Jurong JC while Rebecca, Victoria JC. The rest, as they say, is history as the dynamic duo later became one of the most prominent BFFs in the local entertainment industry.

Becks said of Desmond, “We’re the kind of friends who can talk about everything under the sun. I can sense that he’s not in the best of moods even if he doesn’t mention it and he can do the same for me too. I know that I can call him whenever I feel down, even if it’s three in the morning. He’s the kind of friend who’s very giving (and) having him in my life (…) is a blessing.”

The good looking pair was always probed on the possibility of their relationship progressing to the next level. In our Toggle Talk series, Desmond admitted to having once thought of pursuing Rebecca but ultimately dismissed the idea. Likewise, Rebecca mused, “(The) timing didn’t work out for us” when asked about why the pair never dated.

These days, however…

They’re no longer BFFs and revealed that they’ve actually drifted apart in recent years. Desmond explained, “These years we’re all occupied with our careers, and some have gotten married. Rebecca and I get busier by the year with acting projects, and the group meet up less frequently, so we’ve all grown apart.”

He stressed that while the two are not BFFs any longer, the two are still very much friends – a notion Rebecca readily agreed with.

Rebecca’s Instagram has recently been occupied by another familiar face in the industry – Ian Fang, who calls her BGB. Rebecca emphasised, “At this juncture, Ian is a really, really good friend of mine”.

Desmond, however, isn’t jealous of Ian taking his spot in her life, sharing, “How (my friends) are among themselves won’t affect how I feel towards them.”

Breaking point: Hectic schedules, insufficient time for each other

Once upon a time…

Sisters Barbie and Dee Hsu, along with Aya Liu, Pace Wu hailed from the same school and became good friends. Later on, Christine Fan, Mavis Fan and Makiyo joined the group, which was affectionately dubbed the seven fairies.

The group’s members all had distinctive personalities but called themselves “harmonious friends that don’t ever argue” and were often seen out and about together. When Dee had her highly publicised falling out with ex-beau Mickey Huang, the other six girls rallied behind her to show their support.

Their friendship stayed strong, even in the face of Makiyo’s assault case against a taxi driver and the numerous other scandals that have plagued the entertainers over the years.

These days, however…

Christine Fan and hubby Blackie Chen made an appearance on Here Comes Kangxi earlier this year from which the septet's strained relationship became made known to the public.

The episode, which is hosted by Dee, was meant for the couple to share on Christine's pregnancy but ended up as a war of words when Dee quipped that Pace accompanying Christine throughout the latter's pregnancy was just her "trying to show off".

This caused accusations from netizens, who called Pace a fair-weathered friend who only stands by her entertainment buddies who have a clean record. They added that Pace has consistently kept her distance from Dee and Makiyo due to past scandals.

Aya later stood up for Pace with a Weibo post but was quickly shot down by netizens who asked if she indirectly meant that Dee was lying about the whole matter.

While the spat is far from resolved, we reckon that if the seven could put aside their differences and thrash things out in a sit-down session, they might just be able to resolve all the misunderstandings they have between them.

Breaking point: The fame game

Once upon a time...

Nicholas and Edison were secondary school buddies who have known each other for over two decades.

The former transferred to the Hong Kong International school in 1995, where Edison was attending, and quickly became fast friends as the two shared numerous mutual interests.

They later joined the same company and worked on numerous projects together in their careers, including in films and advertisements.

Even when Nicholas bowed out from making music, he made an exception and guested on Edison's album to show his support.

These days, however...

Edison's much publicised sex scandal blew up in 2008, in which he and a number of females in compromising positions were leaked. Among the familiar faces was Cecilia Cheung, who Nicholas wed in 2006.

Reports say that at the height of the scandal, Nicholas and Cecilia checked in to a hotel to avoid the media but unknowingly checked in to the same establishment as Edison. Nicholas is said to have wanted to exchange blows with his former BFF but was stopped by his wife before any punches were thrown.

Nicholas and Cecilia ultimately went their separate ways in 2011 and he has since moved on with his old flame, Faye Wong.

In an old interview, Nicholas was asked by the media if he still harbours ill feelings towards his buddy, Nicholas clarified that he was never really angry with Edison. "I've known him for longer than I've known my wife; would I not know what his character is like?"

But as they say, things were never the same between the two after all that happened.

Breaking point: The Bro Code

Once upon a time...

These ladies were once from the same label, Linfair Records, and collaborated on numerous projects together while they were BFFs.

In 2005, rumours that the two were in a lesbian relationship spread when they sang a duet, 'Ru Guo De Shi' (loosely translated to 'What If'), which included lyrics such as "If you decide to follow your heart and be courageous for love (...) If you start to believe in our special kind of love".

These days, however...

Angela left Linfair Records in 2012 after contractual disputes. Rumours about how the two were vying for resources within the company and also to become the queen of the label also emerged.

When Christine tied the knot with hubby Blackie Chen, Angela was said to not have been invited and Christine is also reported to have mocked Angela on her birthday for being less educated as she did not attend college.

While the pair has repeatedly denied any speculation of disharmony between them, their fans have been actively attacking each other and their idols on public platforms, including the massively popular Weibo.

Christine's appearance on Here Comes Kangxi was met with criticism when Angela's fans accused her of "acting weak" and "seeking others' pity" for sharing that she wore a wig during her pregnancy due to severe hair loss.

Blackie then spoke to the media and mused, "What they know about each other (these days) is from the mouths of others and when words get passed around, miscommunication naturally occurs (...) they just need to sit down and talk things out".

When probed if she will have that little chat with her old friend, Angela icily responded, "There are no misunderstandings between us. Everything is crystal clear; I feel that there's no point for people with different personalities to try to have a discussion via the media".

Ouch.

Breaking point: Communication breakdown

Once upon a time...

Ou Di's superb imitation of Jacky Cheung in 1995 led to his addition to the Four Heavenly Kings, of which the members were picked based on their imitations of the original four.

Along with Ou Di, Show Luo and other members made up the group, which later disbanded in 1998. Their love for music caused the pair to team up once again to become known as the pop duo Romeo.

The group never hit it big and disbanded after three years and three albums but the pair's friendship never suffered throughout their journey.

These days, however...

Word on the street is that Ou Di was dating Makiyo prior to enlisting in the army and asked for his buddy Show's help to look after his girl while he was serving the nation.

Who would've guessed that after he was discharged, Makiyo and Show were the ones together - she is said to have decided to call it quits with Ou Di due to his repeated crying while serving - a trait that she deemed unmanly. The men have never formally discussed the topic and what is known of the topic was made known through Makiyo's words.

She admitted in 2007 that she once dated Show and shared, "In the past, I've lied when it comes to relationships because both my partner and I were celebrities and we were still young, so we thought that making things public wouldn't be the best idea".

As time went by, the strained relationship between Show and Ou Di seemed to be improving. The former guested on Ou Di's variety show, Wo Ai Nan Zi Han in 2012.

Show has also mentioned that he always makes time to watch his buddy's variety programmes regardless of how busy he is, while Ou Di let on that he attends Show's concerts to show his support.

These days, both men have moved on, with Ou Di welcoming his first child earlier this month and Show Luo in a maybe-relationship with Chinese blogger Grace Chow.

Breaking point: Love

Once upon a time...

The two showbiz goddesses made their debuts in the 1980s and worked together on director Yonfan's movie Last Romance, which was released in 1988.

They quickly became the closest of pals and were even signed under the same management, which meant that they had every reason to meet each other, both on a personal and working level.

These days, however...

Things began to change after the two started dating. In a 1989 interview, Maggie commented, "Cherie and her boyfriend Mike Chu are already living under the same roof," angering Cherie to no end.

Smelling blood in the water, the media tried to probe more information about Maggie's love life from Cherie, who willingly did so. "While she and Derek Yee aren't living together yet, she has been spending nights over at his place - they're ready to get married any time".

In a fit of anger, Maggie publicly announced that she would cut all ties with Cherie. When Maggie later broke up with Derek due to personality differences, Cherie tried contacting her to make amends but was refused.

Their mutual friend Leslie Cheung tried to be the bridge between the two but unfortunately passed away, once again alienating the two once-friends.

In 2007, Cherie's husband Mike passed away and while Maggie was not in attendance, she sent a huge funeral wreath to show her condolences. In 2013, the two were spotted at the same table at a event and were chatting amicably over dinner.

While the two aren't as close as they were before, it seems that time does heal all wounds.

Breaking point: Revealing more than they should have about each other