Casino heiress celebrates Lunar New Year without actor husband amidst discord rumors

Laurinda Ho (R), daughter of the late casino magnate Stanley Ho, and her actor husband Shawn Dou. Photo from Ho's Instagram

As reported by Ifeng, Ho showcased the lavish decorations of her family’s mountaintop villa in Hong Kong in a video shared on Instagram on Feb. 7. The video reveals a flower-filled foyer, adhering to her mother’s belief that Lunar New Year should be vibrantly decorated.

Since her grand wedding in Apr. 2023 to Dou, Ho has relocated to Beijing, China. Her choice to celebrate the festive period at her maternal home rather than with Dou has thus sparked widespread speculation and commentary regarding potential issues within their marriage.

Allegations about the couple’s problems intensified following an incident in Oct. 2023, where Ho seemingly avoided holding Dou’s hand at a public event, fueling rumors about their relationship’s stability.

Further speculation was ignited by reports suggesting that the couple had discussed divorce terms, purportedly leading to Ho’s mother’s displeasure with Dou’s treatment of her daughter. This narrative gained traction when Ho attended musician Wilber Pan’s wedding in Bali in Dec. 2023 without Dou by her side.

Rumors suggest the couple’s time together has diminished post-marriage, attributed to their respective careers.

Neither Ho nor Dou has made any public statement regarding the rumors surrounding their marriage. However, Ho once mentioned on a television show that their work obligations had led to periods of over a month without seeing each other.

Ho, 33, is the progeny of Stanley Ho and his third wife, Ina Chan, with her mother’s net worth estimated by Forbes at approximately US$1 billion.

Dou, 36, has made a name for himself in the acting world, debuting in "Under the Hawthorn Tree" directed by Zhang Yimou and featuring in works like "Dangerous Liaisons," "Time To Love," and "Princess Agents."