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A messy celebrity child custody battle playing out in Denver has become a major scandal in China.
Shuang Zheng, 31, considered to be a megastar actress back in her homeland after starring in the TV series Meteor Shower, denies abusing her two children born via surrogate in Colorado.
Zheng’s former husband, Heng Zhang, one of China’s most famous reality TV producers, says she wanted to abort the children following their split while their surrogate was still expecting. He also says the children were physically abused while in Zheng’s care.
The pair exchanged wedding vows in America in January 2019, before welcoming a son and daughter via surrogate in December of that year and in January 2020.
Surrogacy is forbidden in China but traveling abroad to have surrogate children has increasingly become an option for some Chinese couples, especially wealthy ones.
However, two months before the births of their children, the couple had broken up. Zhang later revealed that his ex-partner wanted to abort their kids despite his offer to raise them as a single father.
Chinese megastar actress Shuang Zheng, 31, left, has been accused of physically abusing her two children born to Colorado via surrogate by her ex-husband and reality TV producer, Heng Zhang, right
One day, Zhang noticed a burn under his son’s nose after the toddler returned from spending time with his mother
The couple’s daughter also suffered cuts to one of her fingers and needed several stitches
‘I told her I understand because you are a celebrity you don’t want anyone to know you have a surrogation baby in the United States,’ he said.
The producer alleged that Zheng had abandoned their two children following their two-year-old split and did not want to sign legal papers which would allow the children to travel to China.
Zheng denied the allegations and instead claimed that Zhang was cheating on her in September 2019. She eventually returned to China alone while Zhang settled in Denver with his parents and children.
Then, a custody battle was ensured. In 2020, Zheng filed for custodianship after Zhang alleged that she abandoned the family in America.
Heng Zhang is one of China’s most famous reality TV producers and married Zheng in 2018 in the U.S.
Zheng, left, and Zhang, right, welcomed a son and daughter via surrogate in December 2019 and January 2020. However, the clinic which Zheng engaged, confirmed the actress wanted to terminate the pregnancies at the seventh month mark
The fertility clinic in which Zheng engaged is also claiming to be owed $68,000 for the successful surrogacy, according to Today Online. The clinic also confirmed Zheng’s request to terminate the pregnancies at the seventh-month mark, which was denied.
The clinic further alleged that the actress wanted to arrange monthly payments in order to have her children raised in the U.S., instead of bringing them back to China.
Those claims, however, aren’t as serious as Zheng’s latest allegation made in Denver County Court, after he noticed bruises on his children.
‘The past six months both of my children got injured really bad when they stay with my ex-girlfriend’s,’ Zhang told CBS News, adding that his daughter needed stitches on one of her fingers, while his toddler son appeared to have suffered a burn under his nose.
The producer further revealed that his ex-partner’s accounts for the injuries are inconsistent and that his children are growing more afraid of their mother as time goes on.
‘My son was so struggling, ”No, don’t go dad. Let’s go home. I’m afraid. I’m afraid of mom” and crying,’ Zhang said. ‘That is why I called child protective service because he told me mama did it.’
Zheng broke out in China after starring in the 2009 TV series Meteor Shower (pictured)
Zheng has been blacklisted by Chinese state regulators due to her surrogacy scandal and for evading roughly $2.3million in taxes in 2021. She’s been dropped by Italian luxury label Prada
The single father added that child protective services’ failure to investigate his claims has prompted him to speak out.
‘I want everyone living in Colorado to know this story. The reason we have the child protective services department is because we want to protect our children before they got hurt not after they got hurt the department started to investigate, that’s too late,’ Zhang said.
Zheng denies her ex-husband’s claims through a statement issued by her attorneys, Martha Timmers and Madeleine Rosengrants of Sherman & Howard.
‘Shuang Zheng unequivocally denies she has ever abused or neglected her children,’ the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Zheng was found guilty of evading roughly $2.3million in taxes in 2021.
Coupled with her surrogacy scandal, she has been listed among ‘actors with poor conduct’ by Chinese state regulators and has therefore been blacklisted and banned from making public appearances with all existing public activities relating to her entertainment career being forced to cancel.
In January 2021, it was announced that Italian luxury label Prada had cut ties with the actress, according to Reuters.
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