Stanley Ho’s youngest son marries model Ming Xi, who famously fell on Victoria’s Secret catwalk
- Mario Ho, the youngest son of the casino tycoon, has married the famed Victoria’s Secret model, after a two-month engagement
- The pair have signed a wedding certificate, and will host a wedding ceremony next year
Ho and his mother, Angela Leong On-kei, confirmed to Apple Daily that the marriage certificate had been signed and that a formal wedding ceremony will be held next year. The pair reportedly were first introduced by Ho’s elder sister Sabrina and began dating in 2017 after taking part in Mr Left Mr Right, a Chinese television dating show.
The couple’s proposal on May 13 took the internet by storm after Ho, 24, decided to ask for Xi’s hand in grandiose fashion.
After cordoning off three floors of Shanghai’s L’Avenue Mall and decking it out with 99,999 roses, a pink castle backdrop and heart-shaped flower arches, giving his wife-to-be a crown to wear and inviting 1,000 of their friends and family members to watch, Ho – microphone in hand – got down on one knee and presented his love with a Louis Vuitton box inscribed with a handwritten proposal message.
Posting a photograph of the proposal on Instagram to his 195,000 followers, Ho described his life as a “fairy tale”, adding, “I can’t believe I actually married the girl I said I was going to marry when I was younger … I’m still in disbelief!!!” Meanwhile, Xi, 30, captioned the same image on her own Instagram account: “I said YES!!!!!! Of course I did!!!!!!!!!!”
After the engagement, rumours circulated that Xi was pregnant and had forced Ho to propose. Ho hit back, denying the claims and offering HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) to anyone who could prove otherwise.
Born Xi Mengyao in Shanghai, the model made her way into the public eye after appearing on the 2009 all-female talent television show Go! Oriental Angel, in which contestants were required to sing, act and play instruments. After graduating in fashion design and acting from Donghua University, she was ranked third while representing China in a competition held by US agency Elite Model Management.
She then began walking in runway shows for high fashion brands, including Givenchy, Dior and Vivienne Westwood and is considered one of the top models currently working in China.
In 2017, she made her foray into acting as one of three magical triplets in the Chinese action-comedy film Enter The Warriors’ Gate and has starred in a total of four films to date.
However, Xi is perhaps most famous for appearing in six consecutive Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows, a lavish annual event by the US lingerie brand, between 2013 and 2018.
China falls for model who took a tumble on Victoria’s Secret catwalk
Ho is the 16th of 17 children ofHong Kong-born billionaire Stanley Ho, 97, who made his fortune in the Macau casino industry. Leong is his fourth wife, with whom he has four other children.
Mario Ho is CEO and founder of Tiancai, a start-up that provides software development, blockchain and artificial intelligence services.
Despite the short period of time between the couple’s engagement and marriage, Ho has impressed fans with his romantic gestures and messages to his now-wife. During their proposal, onlookers reported that he told Xi, “Every moment we spend together makes me feel very safe,” adding: “Spending our days together is the greatest joy in my life. I really treasure this. I hope that this love will last forever.”
