The slim, post-pregnancy physique of singer-actress Kelly Chen has prompted rumors that the new mother could have had a surrogate give birth to her son.

Kelly Chen (M) and Alex Lau walk out of a hospital in Hong Kong on Wendesday, July 15, 2009. [Agencies]

Sporting spiked heels and fashionable slacks, Chen stunned many when she left a hospital in Hong Kong on July 15, five days after a caesarean section delivery. The star gave birth to a healthy, three-kilogram boy, Chace Lau, or Liu Sheng.

While it is normal for new mothers to feel unattractive and overweight after childbirth, it seems like that is not the case for Chen. After delivering her beautiful and healthy son, she has quickly regained her pre-pregnancy physique.

When a netizen recently posted online photos in a web forum, showing Chen leaving the hospital, many wrote comments that she did not look like a woman who had just had a baby. Some mocked it looks like the actress in the photos is just back after out shopping.

Despite many doubts over Chen's quick weight loss, some netizens have voiced their support for her. They said if she used proper methods of weight control during her pregnancy, there would be no obvious change in her physique. They noted that most women usually gain about 10 kilograms during pregnancy, but lose three kilograms after giving birth. Wearing black clothing after giving birth, as Chen did when she left the hospital, would also make any weight gain less noticeable, they said.

Media reports cited a source at Chen's management agency who denied the actress had a surrogate mother give birth to her son. She said Chen, who gained about 9.5 kilograms during her pregnancy, only had a normal weight gain in her belly, but put on no extra weight on her limbs.

Chen announced her pregnancy last November with an expected date of birth in early August. She continued to film commercials throughout her pregnancy and did not stop working until May.

The 36-year-old entertainer married her husband, Alex, in a fairytale wedding ceremony last October.

(CRI July 18, 2009)