By Chang May Choon

FOR someone who has always been evasive about her boyfriend, Hong Kong singer Kelly Chen did the unthinkable on Wednesday.

First, she gave away her boyfriend's identity.

Then, she announced in front of thousands of fans that she will marry him.

Kelly, 35, was performing the fifth and last of her new concert series, Love Fighters, at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

She got the media's attention when she let slip on stage that her boyfriend, Mr Alex Lau, was seated in one of the front rows, directly opposite her brother, singer Victor Chen.

Sharp-eyed lensmen immediately spotted Mr Lau - the tall, handsome guy in a dark grey ensemble.

He has been photographed with Kelly previously, but not on such a public occasion.

For the willowy singer to point him out is rather unusual as she is fiercely protective of his privacy.

Little is known about Mr Lau, except his name, age (he's 35, like Kelly) and how they met each other while studying in the US in 1992.

Other reports said he studied architecture but took over his father's garment business when he returned to Hong Kong and, later, started his own company dealing with flowers.

But he is the one and only guy that Kelly has ever admitted dating since she broke into the music scene in 1995.

They reportedly broke up in late 1998 because they were spending too much time apart. But six months later, they were back together.

In 2001, Kelly's brother, Victor, blabbed to the media that the couple once hid in his house to avoid the paparazzi.

RUMOURS

In recent years, there have been countless rumours that the long-time lovebirds would get hitched, but Kelly denied the talk.

When The New Paper asked her about marriage during a trip here in March, Kelly said she had no plans yet.

But she did admit that she and her beau have an 'ideal romance'.

'It's not easy to find a guy who loves you for so many years and is so dedicated and supportive of you.'

Then, in late April, talk was rife in Hong Kong that Mr Lau had ditched Kelly because she was too caught up in her career to marry him.

Kelly later insisted that their relationship was stable and 'I've never had the desire to marry'.

Still, that did not stop a new round of gossip that she would tie the knot after her concert.

Returning to the stage during an encore on Wednesday, a teary-eyed Kelly announced: 'It's my last show here before the Coliseum undergoes renovation, and it feels like I have just completed a huge mission...

'But, I have an even bigger mission - to get married.'

To screams of joy from the crowd, she asked if they would still want to see her perform if she was married and had two children.

'Yes!' was the unanimous reply.

And Kelly happily declared: 'Even though I'm getting married, I'll never retire.'