Actress Gigi Lai Chi (below) had quite a tough summer. First, her brother suffered a serious head injury in a car accident in late May. Then, when she returned to work at TVB, they cast her in a series shot in Tibet - in the thin air, Lai had a terrible time adjusting and was sent to hospital. It's no wonder she was so happy last Friday, back in Hong Kong as one of diamond brand De Beers' celebrity guests at their jewellery launch.
'I just returned from Tibet filming a 60-episode drama,' Lai recalls. 'I was there for only six or seven days. I can't remember exactly because I suffered altitude sickness six hours after arriving. I was having trouble breathing and my heartbeat increased irregularly. The on-duty military doctor immediately gave me an injection and took me to the hospital. The tests showed my blood oxygen level was at only 70 per cent of what it should be, and my lungs began to collapse. I stayed in bed for 36 hours with three oxygen tanks by me. I thought I was going to die.
'The first thing I did after recovering was to call my brother and tell him I was okay. He still can't talk because there are tubes in his throat, but he can hear. To me, nothing matters more than my family. But the next time I get so dizzy, I hope it's from falling in love.'