It was a dramatic article about her marriage hitting a rough patch. But to Hong Kong actress Sonija Kwok, it was just a joke.

Last month, a Hong Kong tabloid claimed the 38-year-old's marriage was on the rocks because she felt disgruntled that her husband, Chinese action choreographer Zhu Shaojie, earned less than her.

Kwok and Zhu met at a shoot in China in 2010 and got married in October 2011.

Last May, she gave birth to a daughter, Kylie.

The tabloid also claimed that Kwok was the one who pays her daughter's expenses and the monthly mortgage of their home in Hong Kong.

Kwok, who was in town on Sunday for the opening of Hong Kong's Koi Kei Bakery's first local store at Chinatown, laughed off the reports when asked about them.

"They can write whatever they want, I can't control them anyway," she said in Mandarin.

She declined to go into details about her financial situation, saying instead: "As long as reality differs from what is being written in those stories, then it's all good."

Kwok's stand comes from years of dealing with such talk, particularly those about her love life.

She entered showbiz in 2000 after winning the Miss Hong Kong Pageant in 1999, and has been romantically linked to actors like Louis Koo, Joe Ma, Steven Ma and Michael Tao.

Kwok said getting married and becoming a mother has not changed her stand on rumours.

"I've been in this industry for so long, I see them as a joke," she said.

"As long as you stand firm, there's no need to treat such things so seriously."

Kwok said her husband was not affected by the recent report.

"From the day we met, he knows I work in an industry full of rumours, so such rumours are inevitable," she said.

But Kwok is grateful for the recent advent of social media.

On the same day the tabloid hit the streets in Hong Kong, Kwok posted a family photo on Weibo, and said her marriage was fine.

In her post, she also slammed the tabloid for "creating trouble".

"It's a very good platform for rebuttal," she said.

"I can say what I want, without worrying what I say may be distorted."

Footsteps

Although Kwok and her husband work in showbiz, she does not want her daughter to follow in their footsteps.

"I feel girls should lead a more comfortable life," she said, laughing.

"Showbiz is a tough industry, I hope she'll lead an ordinary life instead."

Kwok also said her daughter is very "active and energetic", and added: ""I think she likes martial arts."

She said: "Maybe she's influenced by her father, because sometimes I'll ask my husband to show her a few moves."

But Kwok hopes her daughter will grow up to be a doctor.

"I think it's a very noble profession," she said.

Since she gave birth, Kwok has cut down on her workload, but she will be heading to China next month to film a new drama.

And at the end of the year, she hopes to try for a second child.

"It's mainly for my daughter's sake, as I hope she'll have a sibling for companionship," she said.

"It'll be ideal if she can have a younger brother, but I'll just let nature take its course."

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