Guangzhou - In rare remarks on his marriage, pop star Andy Lau says that as a husband, he is accountable not to the public but only to his wife, Carol Choo.

He came under fire last year when reports revealed he had secretly wed Choo in 2008 and lied about it.

In an interview with China's Information Times that was published recently, he said he has put the unhappiness behind him and that his life has not changed much since marriage.

'I'm not the type to say too much. Well, being someone's husband is not decided by what people say but by what that woman feels,' he said.

Referring to Choo, he added: 'As long as she feels it, it's okay.'

Asked how he has found time to be a family man, he said he is good at time management.

Lau, who is well known as one of Asia's most hard-working stars, said he goes on leave for six weeks a year and for at least two weeks each time.

Since 2000, he has spent 10 hours at home every day for 10 months every year, he said.

His secret is never scheduling a film at the same time as a concert, he revealed.

As for his life with Choo, it is no different from that of ordinary folk, he said. They go on holidays with the family and usually, when they are at home, they unwind by watching television.

He did not discuss Choo much during the interview but described former co-star Cherie Chung as an ideal wife, the newspaper said.

He starred with her in 1991's Zodiac Killers, her last film before she married advertising guru Mike Chu and retired from entertainment.

At the time, she did not know how to cook and studied cookbooks on the set, he said.

'She had a cookbook with her every day and she said, 'I'm going to be a wife, I should be able to cook'.'

Once, when he told her she could play badminton to lose weight and look good at her wedding, she said: 'I'm going to be a wife, I don't need to lose weight.' Chu died in 2007.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.