Yesterday (5 April 2023), Wendy Cheng, more popularly known as Xiaxue, shocked her fans when she dropped an Instagram post announcing her split from her husband, Mike Sayre.
After 17 years together, Xiaxue stated in the post that they had made the tough decision of separating after much deliberation and will co-parent their son, Dash Sayre, moving forward.
She added that despite their separation, their relationship remains amicable, and she still appreciates the many fond memories she has created with him over the past years.
While Xiaxue’s separation may be a shock because of their fairy-tale-like image as a couple, she has stated that they were separated for a while before the announcement.
Here are some facts about their relationship timeline before the separation:
Who is Xiaxue
By now, we doubt any Singaporeans need to learn who Xiaxue is, but we will still provide context for those who live under a rock.
Xiaxue started her social media career in the early-2000s prime era of blogging, and has since become a popular but controversial figure in Singapore’s influencer landscape.
Dubbed one of Singapore’s first social media celebrities, she has won awards and snagged multiple sponsorship deals.
With an outgoing and unapologetic personality, we know Xiaxue for her scathing remarks about sensitive topics and other influencers. Her infamous content has since boosted her popularity.
According to a local influencer marketing agency in 2021, Xiaxue ranks fourth in popularity among key opinion leaders to follow in Singapore.
For your info, “key opinion leaders” mean “influencers”.
However, the blogger-turned-influencer has also met a fair share of hate because of her controversy-laden content.
In recent years, she seems to have courted even more controversy because of her old tweets and comments which were allegedly fat-phobic or racist.
Image of Marriage with Mike Sayre
After getting married in 2010, Xiaxue gave birth to a son with Mike Sayre, Dash Sayre, who is ten years old this year.
Frequently featured in her Instagram posts and videos, viewers and fans alike would have watched her son grow up through her Click Network series, Xiaxue’s Guide to Life.
Besides featuring her son in her series, Mike Sayre has also made a few appearances on the channel.
A quick search on YouTube with the words “Xiaxue and Mike” would reveal multiple vlogs and content featuring their seemingly perfect relationship.
Marriage Life with Mike
This narrative continued with Xiaxue sharing even more candid details about their marriage life.
While most people would believe that passion and romance die a little after marriage, especially after having a kid, Xiaxue revealed in a video that is not always true.
In a 22-minute question-and-answer video posted in 2020, Xiaxue talked candidly about her sex life with Mike Sayre, revealing details about their intimate relationship despite having a kid.
It’s no wonder people got shocked when Xiaxue dropped the announcement of her split to Mike Sayre as the image of her marriage life seemed perfect.
How Did Xiaxue’s Relationship with Mike Sayre Start?
Despite their decision to end the relationship now, it’s safe to say that Xiaxue’s love story with him was still one to keep for the books.
After stumbling on Xiaxue’s blog in 2005, Mike Sayre fell in love with Xiaxue’s photos at first sight and had an epiphany that he was meant to be with Xiaxue.
Her photos enthralled him, and he got a solid intuitive urge to reach out to her. He then dropped an email to Xiaxue attached with his photo, where he professed his attraction to short girls and her.
While Xiaxue did not usually reply to emails sent from men, she responded to Mike Sayre as she found both the content of the email and his photo to be very cute.
After affirming that his photo was real and not photoshopped, the pair continued talking on MSN Messenger, where the rest was history.
She Thought Mike Was Not the One
Though they regularly talked on MSN Messenger, Xiaxue and Mike Sayre did not start dating from the get-go as Xiaxue felt she had no chance of being with him, who was far away from Singapore and lived in the US.
Before Mike Sayre, Xiaxue experienced a lot of relationships with guys who feared commitment and were often less than kind to her. Her self-esteem plummeted, and she feared he would resemble her toxic exes.
Viewing the potential of a relationship with him as unattainable, she distanced herself from him and even blocked him on MSN Messenger. She started dating other guys, whom she wrote about on a private blog.
While unaware at the time, this was a callous move, as Mike Syre had access to her private blog, where he was privy to all the details of her dates. Perhaps out of spite, he also started dating other girls and set a picture of them together as his profile picture on MSN Messenger so that Xiaxue could see it.
After relationships with her exes did not work out, Xiaxue began getting closer to Mike Syre again, and after two months of chatting, he visited Singapore to meet her.
A Trip to Singapore Solidified Their Vague Relationship
Despite being a university student with little to no money, Mike Sayre decided to spend $3,000 on tickets to Singapore to meet Xiaxue in 2006.
While already acting like a couple before the trip, neither acknowledged it as Xiaxue still felt that a relationship with him would not work out as it was unrealistic for Mike Sayre to drop his school, family and friends in the US to be with her.
However, after meeting in Singapore and spending time together in the seven days he was here, they finally sealed their more-than-friends relationship with a kiss, where he asked her to be his girlfriend.
Had to Go Through the Works of a Long-Distance Relationship
Despite making less money than she is now, Xiaxue spent almost $2,000 to go to the US alone to meet Mike Sayre after two months of dating in 2006.
Her decision prompted a massive argument with her mother, who was unfamiliar with him and felt that the US was too dangerous for a girl to go alone.
It’s safe to say that the trip solidified their relationship even more as Xiaxue got to meet his family, whom she described as the “nicest people ever”.
They made several back-and-forth trips between the US and Singapore throughout the year. Eventually, Mike Sayre graduated from university, prompting his decision to move to Singapore in 2007.
Moving to Singapore
Despite being a broke student coming out of university, he dropped his life in the US to go to Singapore, giving up better job prospects, his family and friends in the US.
Unfortunately, things were not all sunshine and rainbows when he first came to Singapore. Xiaxue was only at the start of her career then, so she could not afford a better place to live, forcing her and Mike Sayre to stay together in a cramped space without air-conditioning.
Financial conditions only worsened as he could not get a job easily despite attending job interviews every day. Moreover, engineering positions here were less respected than in the US back then, so most firms only offered a salary of around $2,000 to $3,000.
Getting more tired with each passing day, Xiaxue even suggested breaking off the relationship, as she felt that she was only making his life more complicated by forcing him to stay in Singapore.
Until now, Xiaxue has stated that she still feels guilty for “stealing” his life away from his friends and family in the US and is grateful for the sacrifices he made for their relationship.
From Living Together to Marriage
After Mike Sayre finally clinched a job, their financial capacity improved, and they could finally afford their own house at the end of 2007.
Two years after, he finally popped the question in 2009. A video posted on Click Network documented the entire proposal he orchestrated.
All Things Must Come to an End
Despite their dramatic love story and fond memories created over the years, Xiaxue professed that “nothing lasts forever” in the announcement of their separation.
She wished her ex-husband all the best in his future endeavours and apologised to her followers for their disappointment in her decision to split with Mike Sayre.
She has since requested privacy regarding their split.
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