Mario Ho, Often Mocked For His Height, Says His Growth May Have Been Stunted Because Of An Illness During Puberty

The late Casino King Stanley Ho’s son, Mario Ho, 28, is no stranger to being height-shamed.

Whenever he’s pictured in the same frame as his 1.78m-tall supermodel wife, Ming Xi, netizens have a field day commenting on their height difference. Mario is said to be 1.65m-tall.

He recently appeared on Chinese reality show Viva La Romance (愛的修學旅行), where he revealed that his growth may have been stunted due to an illness during puberty.

On the show, guests discussed their sorrows, and were asked to illustrate their innermost selves via a drawing.

Mario’s drawing showed a circular route map, with arrows pointing to a hospital.

Turns out, Mario was often hospitalised between the ages of 10 and 15 due to an illness.

He explained: “There was a large tumour growing on the gland above my left kidney, and by the time my test results were out, it was already the size of an orange. I had to immediately undergo a major operation. Half of my body was cut open, and I had to get that half of my kidney removed. After the surgery, I had many tubes inserted into me, and I couldn’t move. I was basically laying in the hospital for months. Every day, different relatives and family members would visit me, and they would leave in tears.”

Following that revelation, Mario lifted up his shirt to show a long, obvious scar on the left of his abdomen.

He thinks the illness could have affected his growth, as it had happened right as he was going through puberty.

“I probably could have grown taller, because boys usually experience a growth spurt during puberty. Unlike others, I was missing an adrenal gland,” he said.

The surgery left a huge impact on Mario, physically and emotionally.

It also made him realise the importance of health at a young age. He now makes it a point to remind his family to go for yearly health check-ups to ensure their wellbeing.