Sammi Cheng: Faith Helped Me Find Back My Confidence

By Luke Leung
SammiCheng.jpg
Actress Su Yan (L) and Sammi Cheng attend a photo call in Venice September 8, 2005. Yan and Cheng are starring in Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan's latest movie REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

In a recent interview with a Taiwanese magazine Bella, Cantonese actress and pop-diva Sammi Cheng said that God has led her out of life’s deep valley.

“I had an obsession with famous brands, where I would use an entire outfit of labels to cover my fats and lack of self-confidence,” she said. “Confidence does not come from labels and tags on me, but from a person’s character.

No longer blindly seeking after labels and extraneous accessories, she described her current clothing attire as “comfortable and herself.”

While wearing normal priced clothing, she thinks that it is still important to show a certain fashion. She still sports her favorites, including Eternal Jeans, leather clothing, Comme des Garcons, white shirts, and white sneakers.

“The mixture of average priced and higher priced attires usually form excellent results.”

Those who have observed the diva can easily find the drastic change in her after being away from the spotlight for the past three years.

After starring in the film Everlasting Regret, she fell into a long period of emptiness and unhappiness. During that time, she made the decision to “find back herself”, in hopes of finding happiness, self-confidence.

God Led Me out of Life’s Rock Bottom

Like Saint Augustine who confessed that he could not find rest until finding God, Sammi found rest for her soul in God. In her confession, she said that “God led me out from life’s deep valleys.”

In the past, she used to “exert all of her strengths” in almost everything that she does, but she is learning to use a “normal heart” to look at every matter. She knows that God is in control.

“A normal heart is a state that is without competition and passionate seeking, which is more like a level. When you have truly possessed, then it might be easier to realize the phrase ‘normal heart’.”

“God has led me out of the life’s deep valley. Now, my perspective on life isn’t too solemn, and I am more tolerant and happier. My friends love chatting with me, talking about things on their hearts, because I often use a different perspective to look at things.”

During the two year rest, Sammi explained how she wasn’t afraid of what would happen to her career, but her fear was that she couldn’t find happiness; however, God helped her overcome this fear.

After resting for two years, the pop-diva said that she missed her fans. Regarding work, she still loves work, but doesn’t want to place herself in a situation of asking too much of herself.

“I won’t pass on being stable, but I still like a challenging job.”

During an interview with Radio Television Hong Kong, Sammi talked about the time that she went through emotional disturbances and how faith has helped her. While she is still in the entertainment industry, her style of work is different. She hopes to hold a concert at Hong Kong Coliseum in 2009.

As for love, Sammi earnestly hopes to find a ‘mutually’ loving man, for she thinks that love should be a mutual and intact thing. However, she acknowledges that there isn’t any man who is perfect, because she is with flaws.

“I like a man who can communicate and discuss with me. I think that a mate is a continuous discovery and mutual admiration of the other’s good points and goodness. A hundred point love relationship can only have one life. An overly egotistic man usually does things without consulting others.”

Reporter Sally Li contributed to this report.

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