Former actresses Gigi Lai (2nd from left) and Michelle Reis (1st from right) made headlines after joining an intimate gathering among socialites. Photo: Wendy Chiu/Instagram Story
Former Hong Kong actress Gigi Lai may have stepped away from showbiz nearly 20 years ago, but she continues to exude star power.
According to news portal HK01, the 53-year-old recently made a rare appearance with her billionaire husband Patrick Ma at a dinner attended by an elite circle of high-profile figures.
Among them were former actress Michelle Reis, Rosewood Hotel Group chief executive officer Sonia Cheng and Wendy Chiu – managing director of leading property developer Far East Consortium. All were accompanied by their husbands.
Chiu later shared a snapshot from the intimate gathering on her Instagram Story, alongside a caption that simply said: “Happiness.”
The photo quickly made rounds on social media, with many netizens marvelling at how well Lai and Reis, 55, have retained most of their youthful features.
For the record, Lai and Reis share a sisterly bond and are both widely considered to be “ageless goddesses” in Hong Kong’s entertainment scene.
The pair enjoyed successful acting careers before marrying into prominent families and stepping into the glamour of an elite lifestyle.
Lai retired from acting at the peak of her career in 2008 to care for her younger brother, who had been involved in a serious car accident.
She married Ma in 2009 and welcomed three daughters with him – 14-year-old twin girls, Patricia and Gianna, as well as 13-year-old Pegella.
Meanwhile, Reis – known for her acclaimed performance in the 1995 film Fallen Angels – withdrew from acting around the beginning of the 2000s to focus on her family and charity businesses.
She married business tycoon Julian Hui, son of the late real-estate billionaire Hui Sai Fun, in 2008 after two years of dating. They share a 14-year-old son, Jayden Max Hui.
