China online dating celebrity who would ‘rather cry in a BMW than smile on a bicycle’ reveals domestic violence hell
- Actress suffered cyberbullying after making controversial comment on TV show
- Details of husband’s domestic violence revealed in divorce court evidence
An internet celebrity in China – who infamously said she would “rather cry in a BMW than smile on a bicycle” on a TV dating show – has revealed that she has been a victim of domestic violence.
In 2010, at the age of 22, actress Ma Nuo became well-known nationwide for the controversial comment on the dating show, If You Are the One.
When a male contestant asked if she would like to ride bicycles with him, she responded with the BMW-bicycle remark which was interpreted online as a display of materialism.
In a recent interview with People Magazine, Ma explained that the broadcast did not include the man’s background as a wealthy second-generation student who was studying abroad and was “not a poor boy.”
She was tasked by the TV production crew to reject the man, and she used the quote she had read online just days before in her response as a joke.
This resulted in Ma being labelled a “gold-digger,” bringing her unexpected fame and job opportunities but also years of cyberbullying.
However, her public image took a significant turn recently when she became embroiled in a divorce case, accusing her husband of domestic abuse in court.
In January 2023, Ma was feeling societal pressure to marry by the age of 35, and hurriedly decided to tie the knot with Liu Wei, a man she had met during her live-stream where he generously spent 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) in just three months.
Their romance led to marriage after just five months together, prompting Ma to move from Beijing, where she had lived all her life, to Shanghai to be with Liu.
However, some hidden facts soon were revealed, such as Liu having a child from a previous marriage and debts totalling hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Ma believed they could work together to settle her husband’s debt, but was later shocked to find out the total debt amounted to 650,000 yuan, leading her to sell her property in Chongqing in southwestern China to clear it.
Their marriage further deteriorated due to domestic violence, leading Ma to take legal action.
During an online divorce court hearing on December 15, 2023, Ma disclosed that she had been virtually trapped in their rented home.
She was only able to escape because her husband’s violence drew the attention of neighbours who called the police.
She presented evidence such as medical and chat records showing her husband’s apologies, and a commitment letter written at a police station in which he confessed to assaulting her seven times.
Despite this, Liu denied the accusations. He only conceded that there were disputes and that he had smashed his phone.
He also argued that the medical records presented by Ma were not conclusive to prove that her injuries were inflicted by him. In addition, he expressed his reluctance to divorce.
In a recent communication between the couple in February, Liu, through his lawyer, demanded that Ma compensate him with 300,000 yuan (US$42,000) in exchange for agreeing to a divorce.
While the judgment of the court is still pending, the case has triggered an online discussion.
One online observer said: “She was truly born in the wrong era. Her remark wasn’t serious enough to deserve the intense cyberbullying she faced.”
“No matter what we think of this woman’s character, we can’t let domestic violence be overshadowed. Materialism is a moral issue, but domestic violence is a legal one,” said another.
While a third said: “Him saying she could not prove domestic violence made me furious! We need to focus more on why combating domestic violence is so challenging and why it’s so easy for abusers to escape the law.”
