When you’re a public figure, you may be used to having every aspect of your life speculated upon. But South Korean actor Song Joong-ki was not pleased when the rumours being spread were about his new wife Katy Louise Saunders instead.
Netizens dug up Katy’s past, speculating she was a single mum after old photos resurfaced of the British former actress attending events pregnant and later with a young child, presumed to be her daughter. They even found her in an old ad with George Clooney.
Joong-ki, 37, told GQ Korea in a recent interview about the scrutiny on his wife: “At first, it was nothing. It was a normal thing for us, and even if many people knew about it, our love wouldn’t change.
“But when the nonsensical stories increased, I honestly felt angry. Except for the name of the university she attended, most of the rumours aren’t true.”
It was not clarified what ‘it’ referred to when he said “even if many people knew about it”.
He added that Katy, 38, was the one to calm him down: “While my frustration grew, Katy told me, ‘There’s no need to get angry at these people’. I won’t say too much here, but she’s that kind of person. She makes me have a positive outlook, and we balance each other out.”
The couple is expecting a child together and Joong-ki announced their marriage in a letter on his official fan cafe on Jan 30.
He recounted the day as “really hectic”.
“I actually registered my marriage and immediately went to a script reading for (upcoming movie) My Name is Loh Kiwan,” he said. “Eventually Katy and I finished work and had a late dinner together.”
When it comes to the changes in his life, Joong-ki finds himself excited and “experiencing a lot of new feelings” but also feels like nothing much has changed, describing himself as a “pretty calm person“.
He added: “I’ve mentioned previously that starting my own family and having kids are two of my biggest goals in life.
“So I’m excited, and I feel nervous in a good way, but I try to avoid getting too worked up.”
Currently, Joong-ki is filming My Name is Loh Kiwan in Europe, having been spotted at Incheon International Airport with Katy on Feb 16.
The movie, set to be released in 2024, tells the story of the titular Loh Ki-wan, a North Korean refugee who escapes to Belgium with nothing to his name, and hopes to seek refugee status there.
He meets Marie (Choi Sung-eun), a Korean-Belgian woman and former shooting athlete who has lost her will to live.