Lee Hye-young says stepdaughter asking her to stay close was why she stepped back from acting

Lee Hye-young revealed on June 25 that her stepdaughter's words were the reason she stopped taking acting work — and she has no regrets.

The disclosure came in a video posted to the YouTube channel 혜영이는 못말려, which showed the actress meeting her daughter. The 26-year-old lives in New York but had traveled to LA to see family. Before the trip, she'd been working at a Michelin-starred Korean restaurant until a severe cervical disc condition forced her to step back.

"One day my daughter asked why I wasn't filming dramas recently and wanted me to appear on TV," Lee said. She explained that filming meant they couldn't spend time together, then posed the question directly: would her daughter rather have her mom on screen or by her side? Her daughter chose the latter. "So I said I would raise you well and then become an entertainer again," Lee added.

Her daughter confirmed the weight of that choice. She knows her mom "didn't pursue an entertainment career" because of her. Over several years, the daughter said, her mom "gave up a lot for me" and "always supported my dreams."

Lee married singer Lee Sang-min in 2004 and divorced the following year. She remarried a financial businessman in 2011, gaining a stepdaughter through that union. In 2021 she was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent major surgery to remove part of her lung.

She has not announced when, or whether, she plans to return to acting.