Chinese actress Zhao Lusi, who shot to fame with the romcom Hidden Love, left her fans concerned after she was rushed to a hospital in Shanghai in December and videos of her slumped in a wheelchair went viral online. The actress finally ended her silence on the rumours surrounding her health, and on Wednesday, she issued an official statement.
As per reports, Lusi’s health condition has resulted in rapid weight loss ad her weight has now hit 37 kg. A new video of the actress has gone viral in which se can be seen struggling to walk as a person followed her with a wheelchair.
The 26-year-old actress admitted that she has been battling depression for several years now. On her official Weibo account, she wrote, “Apologies for taking up public resources. Before this, I never let my illness affect my work or those around me. I also admit my own problems. Because I tend to endure, it’s only during this past half month that I’ve realised I’m not as generous and forgiving at heart as I thought. So, I also bear some responsibility.”
She went on to say, “My career has brought me more help and support than I could have imagined. I am truly grateful and feel fortunate. This has helped me understand all the misunderstandings. I support anyone’s right to choose their desired career at any time because you always have the right to escape situations that bring suffering and exhaustion. You can stop anytime—you are free, and you can be brave.”
“I also understand that everyone has faced grievances and injustices. I’ve heard far too many horrifying stories. When there is no help, and the abuser continues to escalate, regardless of profession, age, or gender, it is wrong. Forcing someone to reopen their wounds to prove “it’s not overthinking,” “it’s not weak resilience,” or “it’s not dissatisfaction” is absurd. No one but a doctor has the right to determine the severity of someone’s trauma or whether it qualifies as an illness,” she added.
Sharing her ordeal with her fans, Lusi then wrote, “In 2019, I experienced depression. People told me, “Don’t overthink it” or “If you think positively, everything will be fine.” I also thought I was being dramatic and sensitive and didn’t take my mental health seriously. In 2021, I felt like bugs were crawling on me, like needles were pricking me, accompanied by allergies. After seeing doctors, getting medications, and receiving injections, the symptoms didn’t improve. I sought out a psychologist to help ease my anxiety.”
She further shared, “In 2023, I experienced pneumonia, emphysema, pityriasis rosea, urticaria, night sweats, neurogenic hearing loss, and the loss of loved ones and cancer diagnoses among family members. All these events happened in a short period, overshadowing my emotions, and I continued to neglect my health. In 2024, frequent retching, dizziness, joint pain, neck pain, and other obvious physical symptoms appeared, along with worsening allergies. I thought these were normal side effects of allergy-targeted medication.”
Lusi did not take names but opened up on the physical and mental abuse she has been facing since a young age, which contributed to her deteriorating health. “When I grew up, I was beaten again for not securing an acting role. I thought it was my fault, so I didn’t dare make a fuss—I just wanted to escape. I was used to handling my problems alone and didn’t have the habit of seeking help. Later, when my work was recognized, I gained the courage to say goodbye to those who hurt me,” she wrote.
“In the end, the person demanded a huge “breakup fee” before they were willing to stop their manipulative behavior. Countless defamation attempts inside and outside the industry followed, with people coming to me after gossiping about me. Each time, the pain only deepened. The harm has never stopped,” she added.
Asking people to take depression and mental health seriously, Lusi said that she never spoke about her battle earlier as she did not want any “hype” around it. “Depression is an emotion, but depression as a condition is a disease. It cannot simply be resolved by ‘thinking positively’ or ‘talking it out’,” she concluded.
