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According to Swampin a video posted on her social media account, Lee said she often receives messages from fans such as: “I’m very sad, I feel useless because I can’t handle even a little pressure,” “I have no friends, no one listens to me,” and “I feel no strength or motivation to work.”

Concerned for them, she said she understands their emotions because she experienced similar struggles herself.

At 42, after a series of personal setbacks, including her long-term boyfriend ending their engagement and her father’s death, she developed depression. She stopped going out and even had thoughts of ending her life.

When she fell into a negative state of mind, she tried to focus on her mother, the person she loves and cares about most. She reminded herself that if anything happened to her, her mother would not be able to bear it. That thought helped pull her out of her “distorted” thinking.

Lee also sought help from a psychiatrist and worked closely with mental-health professionals. Doctors tested several medications before selecting the one most suitable for her condition. Although she experienced some side effects, the treatment gradually stabilized her mentality, and she eventually recovered. She took the medicines consistently and as prescribed until she no longer needed them.

As her condition improved, she revisited the activities that once made her feel energized, returning to habits such as exercising and cooking. She began going to the gym every day, enjoyed building muscle, and felt increasingly full of energy.

She asked: “Do you know the feeling of sweating from a workout? That joy is the secret to maintaining beauty.”

After five years of treatment Lee said she went from feeling “like a soulless body, living without purpose or motivation” to feeling like “a phoenix reborn from ashes.” She has since resumed an active career in films, fashion, sports, and livestream sales, and had no recurrence of her mental-health symptoms.

Marking her 59th birthday in August she wrote that in past relationships she did not love herself enough, and now understands that losing herself is far scarier than losing love.

“People say playing Xiao Long Nu was the best phase of my life. That’s true, except that every day that follows will be even better.”

Lee worked as a flight attendant before making her acting debut in 1990.

Her portrayal of Xiao Long Nu in TVB’s 1995 adaptation of Jin Yong’s “The Return of the Condor Heroes” received widespread acclaim and cemented her fame, with Jin himself praising her as the perfect embodiment of the character.