Casino heiress celebrates mother's birthday without actor husband amid discord rumors

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

Sinchew reported that Ho was present at her mother Ina Chan’s birthday party in Hong Kong alongside her siblings. The family shared moments from their meal together on social media, which quickly led netizens to observe Dou’s absence, fueling speculation about the couple’s marital discord.

However, some sources suggested that Dou’s commitment to filming a new movie prevented his attendance.

Following their multi-million-dollar nuptials in Bali in Apr. 2023, Ho moved to Beijing, China, to reside with Dou.

Speculation about their marital problems intensified after an incident in Oct. 2023 where Ho appeared to avoid holding Dou’s hand at an event, raising questions about the state of their union.

Further rumors were sparked by reports that the couple had discussed divorce, allegedly causing dissatisfaction from Chan toward Dou’s behavior toward her daughter. These rumors were compounded when Ho attended musician Wilber Pan’s wedding in Bali in Dec. 2023 without Dou.

It is speculated that the couple’s challenges are due to the limited time spent together after marriage, attributed to their career demands.

Despite the swirling rumors, neither Ho nor Dou has publicly addressed the speculation. However, Ho has once mentioned in a TV show appearance that their demanding work schedules have resulted in periods of more than a month apart.

Ho, 33, is a child of Stanley Ho and Ina Chan, his third wife. Her mother’s fortune is estimated by Forbes to be around US$1 billion.

Dou, 36, has established himself in the acting industry after making his debut in "Under the Hawthorn Tree" by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. He has starred in numerous titles like "Dangerous Liaisons," "Time To Love," and "Princess Agents."